STEPPING STONES 
TO MMHGDD 



mm 



ABOOR of Inspi- 
ration for Boys 
and Youn^ Men 



■WILLIAM: p. PEARCE 




Book . -• J^i 



COPVRIGHT DEPOSn^ 



Stepping Stones to Manhood 




mct/i 



STEPPING STONES 
TO MAN HOOD 



A BOOK of INSPIRATION 
for BOYS and YOUNG MEN 



By WILLIAM P. PEARCE 

AUTHOR OF ''the MASTER'S GREATEST MONOSYLLABLES, 

''the tabernacle/' "the master's 
love/' etc., etc. 



iV9s 






PHILADELPHIA: 

HARPER & BROTHER COMPANY 
1903 



THE LIBRARY OF j tj^ ■ ' 



CONCaftESS, 
Two Copies Rec&lvea' || 

OCT \1 190S j 

,1 CLASS «. KXa No I 
COPY 13, / 



COPYRIGHT, 1903, 

BY 

HARPER & BROTHER COMPANY. 



.»e .». • 



• • •' 



Linotyped and Printed by 

Harper & Brother Company 



J? 



;r 






^ 



TO 

WESLEY P. PEARCE 

MY SON 

WHO AFFORDS ME MUCH COMFORT IN THESE 
HIS BOYHOOD DAYS 

AND TO THE 

BOYS OF THIS GREAT NATION 

THIS WORK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED. 



CONTENTS. 

Part i. — Relation to Self. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

1. Be Neat 15 

2. Be Polite 23 

3. Be Truthful. S3 

4. Be Choice of Language 45 

5. Be Ambitious 55 

6. Be Industrious 67 

7. Be Studious 79 

8. Be Temperate 93 

9. Be Free of the Weed 103 

10. Be Persevering 115 

Part II. — Relation to Others. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

11. Be Dutiful 131 

12. Be Honest 141 

13. Be Just. 151 

14. Be Kind 159 

15. Be Generous 171 

16. Be Careful of Your Company 181 

17. Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 191 

18. Be Chary of Bad Books 201 

19. Be Attentive to Details 213 

20. Be Patriotic 225 



Part III.— Relation to God. 
chapter. page, 

21. Be a Christian > 239 

22. Be Prayerful 249 

23. Be a Bible Student 261 

24. Be a Sabbath Observer 275 

25. Be a Church-member 287 

26. Be a Worker for Jesus 299 

2']. Be a Witness for Jesus 309 

28. Be Loving 319 

29. Be Hopeful 329 

30. Be Faithful 339 



LIST OF THOSE WHO HAVE WRITTEN 
INTRODUCTIONS TO CHAPTERS. 



CHAPTER. 

1. Robert J. Burdette. One of America's moral humorists. 

2. Adolph Sutro. Former mayor of San Francisco. 

3. Joshua Levering. A noted Christian business man. 

4. O. O. Howard. General during the Civil War. 

5. Booker T. Washington. The foremost colored educator 

and orator of the day. 

6. J. T. Rich. A beloved Governor of Michigan. 

7. George S. Cull. The author's instructor during boyhood. 

8. George W. Bain. Colonel in the Civil War, and a tem- 

perance orator. 

9. Asa Clark, M. D. Supt. State Insane As3dum, Stockton, 

California. 

10. Marshall Field. One of Chicago's most honored and 

prosperous business men. 

11. T. T. Geer. Governor of Oregon. 

12. F. W. Warren. Member of the United States Senate. 

13. Aaron S. Zook. A widely known lawyer and lecturer. 

14. George T. Angell. President and founder of the Ameri- 

can Humane Educational Society. 

15. Thomas J. Morgan. General in Civil War, Commis- 

sioner of Indian affairs under President Harrison. 

16. Neal Dow. Former Governor of Maine. The "Grand 

Old Man" of temperance. 

17. H. H. Hadley. Colonel in Civil War. General of the 

Inter-State Blue Ribbon Army. 

18. Anthony Comstock. Secretary of the New York So- 

ciety for the Suppression of Vice. 



CHAPTEE. 

19. Lyman J. Gage. A prominent banker and a member of 

President McKinley's cabinet. 

20. John Clark Ridpath. Historian of the United States. 

21. Samuel Fallows. Bishop Reformed Episcopal Church. 

22. George C Lorimer. Minister, author and lecturer. 

23. James H. Brookes. An able Bible expositor and writer. 

24. Wilbur F. Crafts. A noted defender of the Lord's Day. 

25. Wayland Hoyt. a writer and preacher of prominence. 

26. C. C, McCabe. Bishop of the M. E. Church. 

27. H. H. Warren. An eminent clergyman. 

28. Warren Randolph. A minister of prominence. 

29. H. L. Hastings. Editor and preacher, 

30. Opie Rodway. Evangelist to whom the author owes much. 



PREFACE. 



BOYHOOD is one of the happiest periods of Hfe. 
''Ye Httle know," said Robert Burns, ''the ill 
ye court when manhood is your wish.'' Taking 
a look backward Lord Byron cried, "Ah, happy 
years once more, who would not be a boy?" Thomas 
Moore says, in his beautiful poem : "Oft in the Stilly 
Night :" 

"The smiles, the tears of boyhood's years, 
The words of love then spoken; 
The eyes that shone now dimmed and gone, 
The cheerfid hearts now broken! 



''Thus in the stilly 

Ere slumber's chain has bound me, 
'Sad m^em'ry brings the light 
Of other days around me." 

"There is no boy so poor," said Phillips Brooks, "so 
ignorant, so outcast, that I do not stand in awe before 
him." "I feel a profounder reverence for a boy than a 
man," said President Garfield. "I never meet a ragged 
boy on the street without feeling that I owe him a sa- 
lute, for I know not what possibilities may be buttoned 
up under his coat." "Why, bless me ! Is that the boy 
who did so gallantly in those two battles ?" asked Presi- 
dent Lincoln as a lad from the gunboat Ottawa was 
introduced to him. "Why, I feel as though I should 
take off my hat to him, and not he to me." 

"Get out 'of my way ! What are you good for any- 
7 



how ?" asked a cross man to a lad who happened to be 
standing in his way. The boy repHed, "They make 
men out of such things as I am." How true. That 
dirty boy taken by a philanthropist in New Orleans, 
only for the reason that he was an orphan, became Sir 
Henry M. Stanley, who found Livingstone and opened 
Africa. About fifty years ago, when New York City 
sought to aid her homeless children, an agent called on 
Judge John Green, of Tixston, Indiana, to inquire if he 
would take a boy. Mr. Green said, 'T will, if you will 
bring me the raggedest, dirtiest and ugliest one of the 
lot." A boy by the name of John Brady more than 
filled the bill. He was accepted, educated and became 
a missionary to Alaska. So suitable a man was he for 
commissioner of that unexplored land of wealth, that 
President Harrison appointed him governor. 

Who can value the worth of a boy? Like Moses, 
Luther, or Lincoln, he might rise to bless a nation. 
Boyhood is the blossom that ripens into manhood. It is 
the formative period of one's character. Said Lord 
Collingwood to a young friend, ''You must establish a 
character before you are twenty-five that will serve you 
all life." The building of such is the greatest earthly 
task, and he is the greatest man "who chooses right 
with the most invincible resolution, who resists the sor- 
est temptation from within and without, who is most 
fearless under menaces and frowns, whose reliance on 
truth, on virtue, and on God, is most unfaltering." 

To aid in the growth of such is this work written. 
It is hoped that it will be transformed into an epitome, 
a registry of the reader's own life — a compilation and 
condensation of the best things he shall finally leave 
to those who survive him. For it should 

— "to one of these four ends conduce, 
For wisdom, piety, delight or use." 
8 



Incorporated herein are the best things of many 
books ; the thoughts of noble men which by the power 
of a just appreciation and of a retentive memory may 
be made one's own. Of those who have written intro- 
ductions to this work, some have since retired from 
their official positions, and some are dead. The stories 
gathered from many sources illustrate great principles, 
which, if carefully heeded will conduce to a happy and 
manly life; for 

— "He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 




Success Maxims 



1. Have a definite aim. 

2. Go straight for it. 

3. Master all details. 

4. Always know more than you are expected 
to know. 

5. Remember that difficulties are only made 
to be overcome. 

6. Treat failures as stepping stones to fur- 
ther effort. 

7. Never put your hand out farther than 
you can draw it back. 

8. At times be bold ; always be prudent. 

9. The minority often beats the majority 
in the end. 

10. Make good use of other men's brains. 

11. Listen well, answer cautiously, decide 
promptly. 

12. Preserve, by all means in your power, 
" a sound mind in a sound body." 



PART I 

Relation to Self 



CHAPTER I 

Be Neat 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER I 
By Robert J. Burdette 

YOU can make yourself look an inch taller by neat, 
well-fitting dress. You can actually make your- 
self taller by an erect, manly carriage. Sloven- 
liness is contagious. It communicates itself 
from the dress to the character. The boy who slouches 
and slumps in figure and gait, is dangerously apt to 
slump morally. The dust and grime on your clothes 
is liable to get into your brain. The dirt under your 
finger-nails is likely to work into your thoughts. Grease 
spots down the front of your coat will destroy self-re- 
spect almost as quickly as a habit of lying. Tidiness is 
one of the cheapest luxuries in the world. It is also one 
of the most comfortable. When you know, when you 
are ''dead sure" that you are just right — "perfectly 
correct" — from hat to shoe-tie, the King of England 
couldn't stare you out of countenance ; he couldn't em- 
barrass you, and, he wouldn't if he could. 



14 



CHAPTER I 

Be Neat 

A HIGH column was to be built. The workmen 
were engaged, and all went to work with a will. 
In laying a corner, one brick was set a trifle out 
of line. This was unnoticed, and as each course 
of bricks was kept in line with those already laid, the 
tower was not built exactly erect. After being carried 
up about fifty feet, there was a tremendous crash. The 
building had fallen, burying the men in the ruins. All 
the previous work was now lost, the material wasted, 
and several valuable lives sacrificed, all through the 
misplacement of one brick at the start. The workman 
at fault little thought what mischief he was making for 
the future. It is so with the boy, building character. 
He must be careful in laying the foundation. Just so 
far as he governs, guards and trains himself, just so 
far will he succeed or fail in the estimation of others. 
Tennyson wisely wrote : 

"Self -reverence, self-knowledge, self-control. 
These three alone lead life to sovereign power." 

AMERICAN BOYS. 

Never in the history of any people did boys have so 
much in their favor to assist them in reaching the pin- 
nacle of success as American boys. Back of them is 
an arK:estry of the best blood of the leading nations 
of the world, an ancestry noted for persistence, rever- 
ence, piety and patriotism. 

15 



1 6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

The educational institutions of the land have "turned 
out" thousands of young men who have beaten their 
pathway upward in spite of adverse circumstances, all 
of which seems to say to the boy to-day, ''There's room 
at the top in whatever profession you may follow." A 
good beginning is the most necessary thing, for "it is 
half the battle." In any race a man can well afford 
to miss applause at the starting-line, if he gets it at the 
goal. A slow but determined start is not incompatible 
with a swift conclusion. Experienced mountain-climb- 
ers seem almost lazy, so calmly do they put one foot in 
front of the other ; but they stand well-breathed on the 
summit, while their comrades are panting at the half- 
way station. One must not swerve to the right or left, 
but, setting his face toward duty, like Marcus Curtius 
who rode to death in the Roman Forum, he must push 
forward, with an honest ambition to reach the goal of 
success. It is not always the boy of aristocratic birth, 
wealthy parentage or social standing that wins the 
world's laurels, but usually those boys who are unfor- 
tunately situated, who hew their way in the world in- 
stead of having it laid out and smoothed for them. 

One of our Presidents, when asked what was his 
coat-of-arms, remembering that he had been a chopper 
of wood in his youth, replied, "A pair of shirt-sleeves." 
Lord Tenterden was proud to point out to his son the 
shop in which his father had shaved for a penny. A 
French doctor once taunted Flechier, bishop of Nimes, 
who had been a tallow-chandler in his youth, with the 
meanness of his origin, to which Flechier replied, "If 
you had been born in the same condition that I was, 
you would still have been a maker of candles." 

Where is the boy with nobility of soul and purpose, 
who, though poor, is not tidy; who, being of humble 
origin, is not industrious; who, ridiculed by others, is 
not kind; and who, cramped by circumstances, is not 



Be Neat 17 

heroic? That boy will rise to honor and fill an impor- 
tant place in life. He, like other boys of this country, 
may be a star rather than a flashing meteor in the realr? 
of society. 

ASPIRING BOYS. 

From a farm to the Presidential chair seems a long 
distance, but Abraham Lincoln traveled it, and left be- 
hind him a name and reputation never to die. Andrew^ 
Johnson began life as a tailor and subsequently rose- 
to be the chief officer of the nation. George Peabody 
was an apprentice in a country store, and ended as a 
millionaire philanthropist. Cyrus W. Field was in early 
life a clerk, but the world is indebted to him for the 
successful completion of the Atlantic cable. Samuel 
F. B. Morse, from an artist, became the inventor of the 
electric telegraph. Charles Dickens, the great novelist, 
began life as a newspaper reporter. Levi P. Morton 
was a clerk, John Wanamaker a messenger-boy, Lyman 
J. Gage a night-watchman and James Whitcomb Riley 
a wandering sign-painter. The record, instead of being 
in the tens, could be increased to thousands of states- 
men, governors, generals, business and professional 
men who have risen from the farm, the shop, the store, 
to important offices within the nation's gift. There is 
no reason why a boy cannot make his way in the world. 
He may not be President, or banker, or lawyer, but he 
can fill an honorable position. He may be a master me- 
chanic, a model business man, a useful educator, if he 
is willing to begin at the lowest round in the ladder, 
namely, neatness. 

Boys are men of a smaller growth, and if they fail to 
cultivate self-respect, it means the blighting of man- 
hood, the ostracism of society, and the closing of the 
gate of opportunities to success. Self-respect is a robe 
with which every boy should clothe himself. It lies at 
2 



1 8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

the root of all virtues. It begets a stability of character, 
is the sentinel of the soul as the eyelid of the eye, and 
the corner-stone of all virtues. 

NEATNESS SHOWS ITSELF BY CLEANLINESS. 

There is no need in this day and country for a boy to 
go around with dirty face and hands. It is injurious 
to health, unbecoming and repulsive to any self-respect- 
ing person. On the other hand from 

"The body's purity, the mind 
Receives a secret, sympathetic aid.'' 

When Isaac Hopper, the Quaker, met a boy with 
dirty face or hands, he would stop him, and inquire if 
he ever studied chemistry. The boy, with a wondering 
stare, would answer, *'No." *'Well then, I will teach 
thee how to perform a curious chemical experiment. 
Go home, take a piece of soap, put it in water, and rub 
briskly on thy hands and face. Thou hast no idea what 
a beautiful froth it will make, and how much whiter 
thy skin will be. That's a chemical experiment ; I ad- 
vise thee to try it." There is great virtue in soap and 
water vigorously applied, which doubtless gave rise to 
the old adage, ''Cleanliness is next to godliness," for vir- 
tue never dwells long with filth. An eminent man said, 
'T believe there never was a person scrupulously atten- 
tive to cleanliness who was a consummate villain." 

The singing birds are remarkable for the neatness 
and cleanliness of their plumage. The gay and cheerful 
animals of the fields avoid filth, and are usually of a 
clean appearance. The beauty and fragrance of the 
flowers owe all to this characteristic, and so also does 
the boy who is bright, intelligent, moral and ambitious. 
You will not find his finger nails long, but carefully 
trimmed and devoid of dirt, his ears and neck will be 



Be Neat 19 

spotless, and his teeth clean and white like ''drops of 
snow in banks of pretty pink roses." 

NEATNESS IN DRESS. 

Self-respect will also show itself in neatness of dress. 
''It has," says Barrington, "a moral effect upon the con- 
duct of mankind. Let any gentleman find himself with 
dirty boots, soiled neck-cloth, and a general negligence 
of dress, he will, in all probability, find a corresponding 
disposition by negligence of address." To be tidy does 
not mean to have costly attire. It is no mark of neatness 
for a boy to deck his fingers with rings, to sport a gold- 
headed cane, to wear flashy neck-wear, to have a bou- 
quet of flowers on the lapel of his coat, for while these 
are not unbecoming in themselves, they give the im- 
pression of that sin which overthrew the angels, pride. 

Dean Swift was an enemy of extravagance in dress, 
and particularly of that destructive ostentation in the 
middle classes, which led them to make an appearance 
above their condition in life. Of his mode of reproving 
this folly in those persons for whom he had an esteem, 
the following instance has been recorded : 

When George Faulkner, the printer, returned from 
London, where he had been soliciting subscriptions for 
his edition of the Dean's works, he went to pay his re- 
spects to him, dressed in a lace waistcoat, a big wig and 
other fopperies. Swift received him with the same cere- 
monies as if he had been a stranger. "And pray, sir," 
said he, "what can be your commands with me?" "I 
thought it was my duty, sir," replied George, "to wait 
on you immediately on my arrival from London." 
"Pray, sir, who are you?" "George Faulkner, the 
printer, sir." "You, George the printer ! why, you are 
the most impudent barefaced scoundrel of an impostor 
I have ever met! George Faulkner is a plain sober 
citizen, and would never trick himself out in lace and 



20 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

other fopperies. Get you gone, you rascal, I will imme- 
diately send you to the house of correction." Away 
w^ent George as fast as he could, and having changed 
his dress he returned to the deanery, where he was re- 
ceived with the greatest cordiality. "My friend 
George," said the Dean, "I am glad to see you re- 
turned safe from London. Why, there has been an im- 
pudent fellow just with me dressed in lace waistcoat, 
and he would fain pass himself off for you, but I soon 
sent him away with a flea in his ear." 

Dress is certainly an index to the mind. It shows the 
spirit and internal quality of the soul, and "there can- 
not be a more evident gross manifestation of a poor, 
degenerate breeding, than a rude, unpolished, disor- 
dered and slovenly outside." The boy that does not 
polish his shoes, comb his hair, brush his clothes, is in 
all probability morally affected. To consider such 
things matters of small importance is a grave mistake, 
for they often prove to be hinges on which the doors of 
opportunity swing. 

THE boy's recommendation. 

Said a friend to a business man on coming into the 
office, "I should like to know on what ground you se- 
lected that boy, who had not a single recommendation." 
"You are mistaken," said the gentleman, "he had a great 
many. He wiped his feet when he came in and closed 
the door after him, showing that he was careful; he 
gave his seat instantly to that lame old man, showing that 
he was thoughtful ; he took off his cap when he came in, 
and answered my questions promptly, showing that he 
was gentlemanly ; he waited quietly for his turn, instead 
of pushing and crowding, showing that he was honor- 
able and orderly. When I talked to him I noticed that 
his clothes were brushed, his hair in order, and when 
he wrote his name, I noticed that his finger-nails were 



Be Neat 21 

clean. Don't you call those things letters of recom- 
mendation? I do, and I would give more for what I 
can tell about a boy by using my eyes ten minutes than 
all the letters he can bring me." 

Be neat and clean in appearance, and not less so in 
habit. At home never throw your hat in one chair and 
your coat in another. Have a place for everything and 
put everything in its place. In school or at work let 
the same principle govern you, for "what is worth do- 
ing is worth doing well." The boys now wanted are 

"Boys of neatness, boys of will, 

Boys of muscle, brain and power, 
For to cope with anything 
These are wanted every hour." 



CHAPTER II 
Be Polite 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER II 

By Adolph Sutro. 

Conduct is three-fourths of Hfe. — Matthew Arnold. 

CHARACTER makes the man ; character and 
poHteness mark the perfect man. The first is 
the diamond in the rough ; the second the cut 
stone. The former may attract the attention 
of a few, the latter discloses hidden beauties and com- 
pels the admiration of all. 

The ''grand old name of gentleman" can only belong 
to him who unites the qualities of gentleness and manli- 
ness, and politeness is essentially gentleness. 

The exercise of politeness benefits all, chiefly him 
who practises it, and this is a sure road to success. 




24 



CHAPTER II 

Be Polite. 

WILLIAM of Wickham, Bishop of Winches- 
ter, and founder of Winchester and of New 
College, Oxford, was so convinced of the 
value of manners that he had the phrase 
"Manners Make a Man," inscribed in several places 
upon the walls of those structures. ''Good manners," 
said Emerson, ''are made up of petty sacrifices." Pleas- 
ant expression and action, pleasing exterior and true 
kindness are gentle delights which win the esteem of 
others and often contribute to one's advancement more 
than real merit. Coarseness and grufifness, loose habits 
and "don't-care" manners, never fail to lock doors and 
close hearts. "You had better," wrote Chesterfield to 
his son, "return a dropped fan genteelly, than give a 
thousand pounds awkwardly; better refuse a favor 
gracefully than grant it clumsily. All your Greek 
can never advance you from secretary to envoy, or from 
envoy to ambassador ; but your address, your air, your 
manners, if good, may." These will give, as Emer- 
son says, "The mastery of palaces and fortunes wher- 
ever one goes without the trouble of earning or owning 
them." 

Cultivation of politeness is like putting the finishing 
touch upon the picture, it sets one off to the best ad- 
vantage. Like a flower bed encircling the lawn, it beau- 
tifies character. Like a lamp in a dark room, it makes 
one's presence cheerful. Nothing has greater influence, 



26 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

and as Matthew Arnold said,"It is three-fourths of Hfe." 
As honey on the skin is a protection from the sting of 
the bee, so pohteness will be a safeguard from the 
stings of the world. Doors will open at its knock. 
Sunbeams will sparkle in its presence, and everywhere, 
with everyone, it will act as a magic passport. 

DEFINITION OF POLITENESS. 

Politeness has been defined in various ways, but all 
meet at the same point, like the spokes of a wheel which 
center in the hub. ''It is the art of showing, by external 
signs, the internal regard we have for others." ''It is," 
said Lord Chatham, "benevolence in little things," as 
the giving others the preference in every enjoyment at 
the table, walking, sitting or standing. "It is a willing- 
ness to please and to be pleased." "It consists in treat- 
ing others just as you love to be treated yourself." 
Henry IV, King of France, was once taken to task for 
returning the salute of a poor man as he was passing 
through a village. He replied, "Would you have your 
king exceeded in politeness by one of his meanest sub- 
jects?" Because Nicholas I, Czar of Russia, saw an 
officer of his household treat an old beggar woman dis- 
courteously, he summoned him to his imperial presence. 
The official was quite pleased. Nicholas soon unde- 
ceived him, and in the presence of a dozen courtiers cut 
him to the quick with his indignant reproof. "Enough !" 
he said, finally, "you will walk up and down that corri- 
dor all night, and every time you turn you will say, in 
a loud voice, T am a puppy ! I am a puppy !' " 

"I treat him as well as he treats me," said a boy to his 
mother. She had just reproved him because he did not 
attempt to amuse or entertain a boy friend who had 
gone home. "I often go in there and he doesn't notice 
me," said the boy. "Do you enjoy that?" asked the 



Be Polite 27 

mother. ''O ! I don't mind, I don't stay long," was the 
reply. ''I should call myself a very selfish person," re- 
marked the mother, ''if friends came to see me and I 
should pay no more attention to them." "Well, that's 
different, you're grown up," answered the son. ''In- 
deed !" replied the mother, "then you really think that 
politeness and courtesy are not needed among boys?" 
The boy thus pressed, said he didn't mean exactly that. 
His father, having overheard the conversation, turned 
to him and said : "A boy or a man who measures his 
treatment of others by their treatment of him, has no 
character of his own. He will never be kind or gen- 
erous. If he is ever to be a gentleman, he will be so in 
spite of the boorishness of others. If he is to be noble, 
no other boy's meanness will change his nature. Re- 
member this, my son, you lower yourself every time you 
are guilty of an unworthy action because someone else 
is. Be true to your best self, and no boy can drag you 
down, nor will he want to." 

Years ago, when Queen Victoria began her reign, the 
famous Lord John Russell was the minister in atten- 
dance upon her majesty at her Scottish home. There 
came late one evening a messenger — a little old man 
buried in a greatcoat — to the Aboyne telegraph office, 
and delivered to the clerk a message from Lord John 
Russell to one of the officials of the government in 
London. The message did not bear a signature. On 
seeing this, the ill-mannered clerk flung it back to the 
old man, and said, "Put your name to it ; it's a pity your 
master doesn't know how to send a telegram." The 
name was added and the message handed back. "Why, 
you can't write either," cried the enraged clerk, after 
vainly trying to make out the signature ; "here, let me 
do it for you. What's your name ?" "My name," said 
the little old man, very deliberately, "is John Russell." 
Through his impoliteness that clerk lost his position. 



28 Stepping Stones to Manhood 



POLITENESS A BADGE OF TRUE GENTILITY. 

In some European countries the word gentleman 
stands for a titled or wealthy man. When Sir Law- 
rence Alma-Tadema -was knighted a lady expressed her- 
self to his lordship thus : "O, dear Sir Lawrence, I 
am awfully glad to hear of the honor you have re- 
ceived ; I suppose now that you have been knighted 
you'll give up painting pictures and live like a gentle- 
man." Many are they who have this idea of gentle- 
manship. But in our land the real gentleman stands 
for such personal qualities as honesty, truthfulness, 
gentleness and gracefulness which characterize a boy 
or man. Such a gentleman subjects his appetite, re- 
fines his taste, subdues his feelings and controls his 
speech. When accidentally running against or passing 
before another, it will be, ''I beg your pardon." 'Tlease 
excuse me." When receiving a gift or extending a fa- 
vor, it will be, "I thank you." 

Some boys are not careful in their expressions. 
"Sir," said Doctor Johnson, "A man has no more right 
to say a rude thing to another than to knock him down." 
A young man once accosted Zachariah Fox, a Quaker, 
a rich merchant of Liverpool, with ''Old chap, how do 
you make all your money?" The Quaker replied, "By 
dealing in an article that thou may'st deal in if thou 
wilt — civility." 

Monroe was so polite that he was called "A Gentle- 
man of the Old School." Henry Clay was said to make 
the most engaging bow of any gentleman of his day. 
Madison made it a point to touch his hat to everyone 
who bowed to him, and the front part of it was always 
worn threadbare in consequence of his lifting it. Wil- 
liam Penn's formal but kindly politeness impressed even 
the Indians with whom he dealt, so that they named 
him: "The Good-Big Chief." James Russell Lowell 



Be Polite 29 

was as courteous to a beggar as to a lord, and was once 
observed holding a long conversation in Italian with an 
organ-grinder whom he questioned about scenes in 
Italy with which both were familiar. "You should not 
have returned their salute," said the master of cere- 
monies, when Clement XIV bowed to the ambassadors 
who had bowed in congratulating him on his election. 
"Oh, r beg your pardon," replied Clement, "1 have not 
been pope long enough to forget good manners." 

A number of years ago a company of workmen was 
standing before a store in Oxford street, London, look- 
ing at some pictures. The Honorable William E. 
Gladstone, who was then at the height of his popularity, 
halted a moment to look at the artist's work. One of the 
workmen recognized him and stepping up, said, "Ex- 
cuse me, Mr. Gladstone, but I should like to shake 
hands with you." "Why, of course, I shall be glad to 
do so," the Premier of England responded, as he ex- 
tended his hand not only to the man who had accosted 
him but also to the little group of men who stood near, 
taking no notice of soiled hands or garments. Then 
he directed their attention to a fine engraving in the 
window, quietly pointing out not only its beauty, but 
some special feature in its execution that constituted its 
charm. Then raising his hat with a smile he bade the 
men "Good morning," and passed on his way up the 
street. No wonder that in later years his fellow-coun- 
trymen called him "The Grand Old Man," "The Peo- 
ple's William." He was a gentleman, exhibiting a 
lovely spirit of true friendship and absolute equality. 

POLITENESS SHOULD BE FIRST PRACTISED AT HOME. 

What one is in the home is a fair criterion as to what 
he will be away from home. The manner in which a 
person conducts himself in the home determines largely 
his course and conduct in life. He who is polite and 



30 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

kind to his parents, considering their wishes, and heed- 
ing their advice and counsel, paves the way to future 
happiness and success. But he who spurns paternal 
suggestions, speaks and acts disrespectfully, is seldom 
respected and is always at a disadvantage. When 
Prince Bismarck was a boy, he was rebuked by his 
father for speaking of the King as Fritz. ''Learn to 
speak reverently of his Majesty," said the old squire of 
Varzin, ''and you will grow accustomed to think of 
him with veneration." Bismarck laid the advice to 
heart and from that day profited by it. 

The truly polite boy is not only respectful to his 
parents but also to his sisters and brothers, always re- 
turning a pleasant "Thank you" for any kindness re- 
ceived at their hands, and showing as much courtesy to 
all at home as to those in the home of a neighbor. "A 
beautiful form," says an American essayist, "is better 
than a beautiful face, and a beautiful behavior is bet- 
ter than a beautiful form; it gives' a higher pleasure 
than statues or pictures ; it is the finest of the fine arts," 
it gives grace to one's bearing and enables one to look 
on the bright and beautiful side of things. 

POLITENESS SHOULD BE ACCORDED ALL. 

Politeness is a universal debt that each boy owes to 
every person. The matter of caste, sex, position and 
intelligence have nothing whatever to do with it. It 
should be the rule of conduct wherever and in what- 
ever society one may be, to practise politeness. 

Charles V was renowned for his courtesy. When he 
passed John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, he took off 
his hat and bowed to him, though his prisoner, who had 
been taken by him in battle. The poet Burns was one 
day walking in the street of Edinburgh when an honest 
farmer saluted him, which salute he returned, when 
some one rebuked him. Mr. Burns replied that it was 



Be Polite 31 

not the greatcoat, the scone bonnet or the saunders 
boot-hose that he spoke to, but the man that was in 
them. Daniel Webster was once walking with a friend 
in Washington when a colored man passing by bowed 
very low to him. Air. Webster promptly returned as 
deep an obeisance. "Do you bow in that way to a 
darky?" asked his friend. ''Would you have me out- 
done in politeness by a negro ?" replied the great states- 
man. 

WHAT POLITENESS DID. 

Mr. Winans, of Philadelphia, became independently 
rich through his courteous manner. One day two 
strangers called on him. One was a foreigner who had 
visited some larger establihments in the city, but on 
their coming to i\Ir. Winans', a third or fourth rate fac- 
tory, he took so much pains to show all its parts and 
workings, and was so patient in his explanations and 
answers to their inquiries, that within a year he was 
surprised by an invitation to transfer his labors to St. 
Petersburg and manufacture locomotives for the Czar 
of Russia, He went, accumulated a large fortune, and 
ultimately received from his Russian w^orkshops a hun- 
dred thousand dollars a year. Investing his money in 
real estate he laid the foundation of one of the largest 
private fortunes in Philadelphia ; and all this was the 
result of civility. 

It pays to cultivate politeness. To this day the Jap- 
anese people revere the memory of General Grant. 
While visiting the emperor, he was invited to cross the 
imperial foot bridge near the palace at Tokyo, across 
which none but the blood royal had ever trod. General 
Grant accepted the invitation and walked beside the 
Mikado until they reached the center of the bridge. 
Then he stopped, profoundly saluted the emperor, and 
said: "Your majesty, I have come so far to show vou 



32 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

that I was not insensible to the honor you would do me, 
but I cannot violate your traditions. Let us return the 
way we came." 

Politeness serves one well. It is keener than sharp- 
ened steel. It is more magnetic than loadstone and 
worth more than jewels. At home or abroad, among 
young and aged, employers or teachers, inferiors or su- 
periors, this glorious characteristic is a diadem from 
which sparkles a jewel, which is, as Chesterfield said: 
*'The treatment of others just as you love to be treated 
yourself." In the words of One greater than he, it is, 
**Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you." 
All other things being equal, the boy who adheres to 
these mottoes is the one who succeeds. It makes him 
an acceptable companion, wins friendship and creates 
popularity. ''Give a poor boy fine manners and ac- 
complishments," said Voltaire, "and he will become the 
master of fortunes and palaces, while princes stand upon 
their threshold to solicit his friendship." Charles II. 
is described by Macaulay as being ''the grandest rascal 
and most popular man in England." Hume in giving 
the reason of this says, "He was the best bred man 
alive." 

'What thou wilt, 

Thou must rather enforce it with thy smile, 

Than hew to it with thy sword." 



CHAPTER III 
Be Truthful 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER III 
By Joshua Levering 

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, 
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil 
side. —Lowell 

IT is related of Cyrus, that when asked what was the 
first thing he learned, he replied, *'To tell the 
truth." Truthfulness is the foundation stone of 
character. Without it, a life, as it is developed, 
becomes more and more marred and falls short of its 
highest opportunity and calling. All qualifications that 
go to make up noble manhood count for naught, where 
there is not a persistent adherence to truthfulness. 
Therefore be true to yourself and the nobler impulses 
and yearnings of your heart by always speaking the 
truth, acting the truth, and living the truth. 







34 



CHAPTER III 
Be Truthful 

WHILE a vessel was crossing the English 
Channel, a gentleman stood near the helms- 
man. It was a calm pleasant evening, and 
no one expected a storm. The flapping of 
a sail as if the wind had suddenly shifted, caught the 
ear of the officer on watch, and springing to the wheel, 
he examined the compass. "You are half a point off the 
course," he sharply said to the man at the wheel. The 
deviation was corrected, and the officer returned to his 
post. 'Tt must be necessary to steer very accurately," 
said the observer, "if half a point is of so much import- 
ance." "Ah !" remarked the officer, "a half a point, sir, 
is liable to bring us directly on the rocks." What a 
lesson for every boy. The half a point deviation from 
strict truthfulness strands one on the rocks of false- 
hood. 

WHAT IS A LIE? 

- The shortest definition of a lie is, "The intention to 
deceive." It may not be telling an out-and-out false- 
hood to conceal a crime, or to shield one's self, but 
telling it to mislead or deceive others. "The essence 
of the thing," said Dewey, "lies in the intention," and if 
the intention is to mislead, such, as Immanuel Kant 
says, "is forfeiture of personal worth, a destruction of 
personal integrity." As he contends, "a lie is the 
abandonment, or, as it were, the annihilation of the dig- 

35 



36 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

nity of man." It will undermine the noble instincts of 
any boy and cause his character to collapse. 

TELL THE TRUTH. 

A story of Abraham Lincoln shows his love for truth. 
It was a bright autumn evening, when Abraham, a 
great awkward boy of sixteen or seventeen said to his 
mother, "I'm going to the woods to-morrow. I've got 
a good job at Laird's and as I shall be obliged to start 
by day-break, I thought there might be some chores you 
wished to have done." "You are a good boy, Abram, 
always thinking of helping me," said his step-mother. 
"If I was your own mother you could not be more 
kind, and God will reward you sometime. To-morrow, 
I am going to wash, and I would be very thankful if 
you would bring me a few buckets of water from the 
spring." Back and forth the tall boy hurried, until all 
the tubs and kettles about the cabin were filled. Early 
next morning, when Abraham was ready to start for 
the place where the rails were to be split, his little sis- 
ter Sally said, "Can't I go, Abram ?" "Just as mother 
says," replied he, pausing to give the little girl an op- 
portunity to consult her mother. The mother would not 
consent. No sooner had Abram started than she de- 
termined to follow him, and at once cut across the field 
intending to reach the ravine before him and give him 
a genuine surprise by jumping out unannounced in the 
path as he came up. She carried out her plan suc- 
cessfully, and when she heard his merry whistle in the 
distance she climbed upon the bank to be ready to make 
the spring for his shoulders when the proper moment 
arrived. But the poor child had forgotten all about the 
sharp axe which he carried, and although she gained 
her coveted seat on his broad shoulders, her little bare 
foot received a gash from the cruel axe, which changed 
her merry laugh into a bitter cry. "Why, Sally ! How 



Be Truthful 37 

did you get here?" was all the boy could say as he 
placed her tenderly on the bank and began an examina- 
tion of the wounded foot. Finding it to be a deep cut, 
he gathered some broad plantain leaves which grew 
near, and by their aid soon succeeded in staunching the 
flow of blood. This accomplished, he tore the sleeve 
from his shirt, and in his clumsy way bandaged the in- 
jured foot. Carrying her home, he learnt the story of 
her disobedience. She would have been willing to evade 
the truth in order to screen herself from her mother's 
displeasure, but honest, truthful Abraham would not 
permit this. "Tell the truth, Sally, no matter what the 
consequences may be," he insisted ; "better suffer punish- 
ment than lie about it. I don't think mother will be hard 
on you when she sees how sorely punished you are ; 
but never tell a lie to shield yourself, never." Such 
was the course taken through life by that boy who later 
became the honored President of these United States. 

W'HITE AXD BLACK LIES. 

Much is said nowadays about degrees in lying. That 
is lying in a small way. There is the so-called white lie 
of custom when a certain article is slightly misrepre- 
sented to make a bargain ; the white lie of courtesy when 
one makes politeness the garb behind which he deceives ; 
the white lie of necessity, when one would evade the 
truth by nodding the head, or giving a wrong impres- 
sion. Some men, and even great men, have main- 
tained that this is sometimes a necessity, but would it 
not be a fine moral precept to say, "You must speak the 
truth generally, but you may utter a falsehood when it 
suits your convenience?" Who ever licensed one thus? 
Justin iMartyr said, "Is life at stake? We would not 
live by telling a lie." When Atillius Regulus was a 
prisoner of the Carthaginians he was sent by that great 
people to Rome with several ambassadors to arrange 



38 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

for peace, on the understanding that if peace-terms were 
not agreed upon he was to return to prison. He took 
the oath and swore to return. Arriving at Rome he 
urged his countrymen to continue in war and not agree 
to the exchange of prisoners. This meant to him the re- 
turn to Carthage. The senators and priests held that as 
his oath had been forced from him he ought not to re- 
turn. Then came the answer from Regulus which has 
made him imperishable: "Have you resolved to dis- 
honor me? I am not ignorant that death and tortures 
are preparing for me. But what are those to the shanne 
of infamous action, or the wounds of a guilty mindf 
Slave as I am to Carthage, I have still the spirit of a 
Roman. I have sworn to return. It is my duty to re- 
turn. Let the gods take care of the rest.'' 

"One should never lie," said Crispi, the great Italian 
statesman. "I will not stain speech with a lie," said 
Pindar. ''The genuine lie is hated by all gods and 
men," said Plato. ''That man has no fair glory," said 
Theognis, "in whose heart dwells a lie, and from whose 
mouth it has once issued." A lie is never justifiable, 
and to lie a little, is, as Victor Hugo remarked, "not 
possible." The person who lies tells the whole lie, lying 
in the face of the fiend, and "Satan has two names, 
Satan and lying." Therefore 

"Let falsehood he a stranger to thy lips; 
Shame on the policy that first began 
To tamper with the heart to hide its thoughts! 
And doubly shame on that inglorious tongue 
That sold its honesty and told a lie." 

WHAT LYING DOES. 

Nothing so corrupts early simplicity, quickly de- 
stroys the nobler instincts, and depraves the heart as 
falsehood. If a boy will lie about one thing, can he 



Be Truthful 39 

be trusted in anything? If he is branded as a Har, what 
teacher will respect him, what business man will engage 
him, and what court will accept his testimony? "I 
have seldom known anyone," said Paley, "who deserted 
truth in trifles, who could be trusted in matters of im- 
portance." Oliver Wendell Holmes said: "Sin has 
many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all." 
It destroys confidence, establishes false relations among 
men, blights the bloom of life, and saps the vital springs 
of existence. It is the progenitor of all wrongs, op- 
pressions, cruelties and crimes, and what boy is there 
who dare do it when God prohibits it? 

WHAT LYING BRINGS. 

Like begets like, thus lies beget lies. Said Owen, 
"One lie must be thatched over with another, or it will 
soon rain through." Lying brings misery. It troubles 
the conscience, destroys the peace of mind and makes 
one suspicious of others. Because of this, Eugene 
Field, when a young man, walked thirty miles to con- 
fess to his employer and to ask forgiveness for an un- 
truth he had told him. Lying brings punishment, for 
"lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord." Be- 
cause of this Elisha's servant was struck with leprosy, 
Ananias and Sapphira with death, and many others have 
had the seal of God's wrath placed upon them. 

One day, as Archbishop Leighton was going from 
Glasgow to Dumblane, a storm of lightning and thun- 
der burst upon him. He was observed, when at a con- 
siderable distance, by two men of bad character. They 
had not the courage to rob him ; but, wishing to extort 
money from him, one said, "I will lie down by the way- 
side as if I were dead, and you shall inform the arch- 
bishop that I was killed by the lightning and beg money 
of him to bury me." When the Archbishop arrived, 
the wicked wretch told the fabricated story. The 



40 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Archbishop sympathized with the pretended survivor, 
gave him money, and proceeded on his journey. But 
when the man returned to his companion, he found him 
really lifeless. Immediately he began to cry aloud: 
'^Oh, Sir ! he's dead ! Oh, Sir, he's dead !" On this the 
Archbishop discovered the fraud and turning to the liv- 
ing man said, '*It is a dangerous thing to trifle with 
the judgment of God." How much better and safer 
to speak the truth, for 

"There is nothing so kingly as kindness, 
And nothing so royal as truth." 

Truthfulness is the foundation of character. It is the 
basis of true manhood. Its spirit pervades the closest 
relation and highest intercourse, its law holds the 
planets in their course, and it is the presiding principle 
of every true and noble life. A greater tribute could 
not be paid to anyone than ^'his word is as good as his 
bond." No more worthy epitaph or eloquent remark 
could be uttered of Colonel Huchurin, than when a 
friend, attesting the simplicity and nobility of him, said : 
''He never professed the thing he intended not." No 
eulogy can surpass Xenocrates of Petrarch, who, stand- 
ing before an ecclesiastical tribunal where an oath had 
been required of others, said, ''As for you, Petrarch, 
your word is sufficient." 

An important conference was being held in the Ex- 
ecutive Mansion in Washington. A caller had sent in 
his card, but either the caller was unwelcome or the 
time was quite unsuitable for his admission. One of 
the persons turned to a servant and said, "Tell the per- 
son who sent up the card that the President is not in." 
"No," said General Grant, "tell him no such thing." 
Then, turning to his friends, he remarked : "I don't lie 
myself, and I don't want any of my servants to lie for 
me." 



Be Truthful 41 

A "Mental Photograph" book was once presented to 
Charles Kingsley in which to write. One question was 
"What is your hete noire?'' "A lie," he penned. In 
dedicating her delightful biography of him his wife 
wrote : 

"To the beloved memory 

of 

A righteous man 

Who' loved God and truth above all things. 

A man of untarnished honor — 

Loyal and chivalrous — gentle and strong — 

Modest and humble — tender and true — 

Pitiful to the weak — yearning after the erring — 

Stern to all forms of wrong and oppression, 

Yet most stern toward himself — 

Who being angry yet sinned not." 



TRUTHFULNESS IS THE MOST HONORABLE AND SAFE 
COURSE. 

Truthfulness underlies all honest and faithful work, 
all social confidence, all right fulfillment of relations 
and self-respect. It regulates lives and improves and 
elevates those it characterizes. It is one great secret 
of success in business, a magnet that draws confidence 
and wields a power second to none in the universe. A 
poor Persian boy was about to leave his mother's home, 
to engage in business in the city. Within the lining of 
his coat she sewed forty golden dinars which she had 
saved during years of labor. Before the boy started 
she cautioned him to beware of robbers as he went 
across the desert, and as he left the home, she said: 
"Fear God, and never tell a lie." The boy started, and 
toward evening saw in the distance the glittering mi- 
narets of the great city, but between the city and him- 



42 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

self he saw a cloud of dust. It came nearer. Presently 
he saw that it was caused by a band of robbers. One 
of them approached him, and unceremoniously in- 
quired what valuables he had. The boy answered with 
candor : "Forty golden dinars are sewed up in my gar- 
ments." Discrediting the boy's story he wheeled his 
horse around and rode back to his companions. Soon 
another robber came and said: ''Boy, what have you 
got?" ''Forty dinars sewed in my garments," he an- 
swered. The robber laughed and rode away. At last 
the chief came and asked him what he had. The boy re- 
plied, "I have already told two of your men that I have 
forty dinars sewed up in my clothes." The chief or- 
dered his clothes torn open, and the money was found. 
He was then asked what induced him to make such a 
revelation. "Because," said the boy, "I would not be false 
to my mother, whom I solemnly promised never to tell 
a lie." The robber leaned upon his spear and after re- 
flecting said, "Wait a moment." He mounted his horse 
and rode back to his comrades, but soon returned 
dressed as a merchant. "Boy," said he, "art thou so 
mindful of thy mother, while I am insensible at my age 
of that duty I owe God ? Give me thy hand, that I may 
swear repentance on it." He did so, and his followers 
were struck with the scene. Said he, "I am a mer- 
chant. I have a large business house in the city. I 
want you to come and live with me to teach me about 
your God, and you will be rich, and your mother some 
day shall come and live with us." Then one of the rob- 
bers turned to the chief and said, "You have been our 
leader in guilt, be the same in the path of virtue." And 
taking the boy's hand, they all promised to lead new 
lives. 

Boys, speak only that which is true. You may do 
much good by it, although you may never lead a band 
of robbers to God and honesty. But — 



Be Truthful 43 

"Nothing good shall ever perish, 
Only the corrupt shall die; 
Truth, which men and angels cherish. 
Flourishes eternally.'' 

TRUTHFULNESS IS THE WINXIXG SIDE. 

Good old ]\Iatthew Henry used to say, ''Truth is 
mighty and will prevail." "Falsehood," as one of the 
kings of Prussia said, ''sometimes does good for twenty- 
four hours, but like a battle well fought, right comes 
off more than conqueror." Falsehood is always de- 
feated. It shrinks at detection and in due time is com- 
pelled to confess. Truth is sure and has a firm founda- 
tion because it is an attribute of God. And "God and 
truth," said Theodore Parker, "are always on the same 
side." Therefore 

''Sci::e upon truth, zchere'er 'tis found, 
Amongst your friends, amongst your foes. 
On Christian or on heathen ground; 
The floix.'er's divine where'er it grows." 



CHAPTER IV 

Be Choice of Language 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER IV 

By General O. O. Howard 

"Maintain your rank, vulgarity despise, 
To swear is neither brave, polite nor wise ; 
You would not swear upon a bed of death ; 
Reflect — your Maker now may stop your breath." 

Anonymous. 

ONE moonlight night I was passing near a sen- 
tinel's post. It was during the winter of 
1861-2, in front of Alexandria, Virginia, at 
Camp California. The sentinel, in some 
trouble, used rough, coarse language, closing with an 
oath. Approaching him, till I could see his face, think 
of my astonishment to find him, instead of a burly man 
of low life, a handsome boy of seventeen. I said to 
him pleasantly: "How could your mother have taught 
you to swear?" Dropping his head with a sudden 
shame, he answered, "She didn't. General. I learned 
it here." And indeed, it came from the influence of his 
associates. 

One's language always gauges him. 







46 



F 



CHAPTER IV 

Be Choice of Language 

EW things are more important and far-reaching 
than the use of words. If good, they 



— ''have power to 'suage 

The tumults of a troubled mind 

And are as balm to fester d wounds/' 

If bad, they corrupt and may flourish, as Carlyle 
said: ''Like a hemlock forest after a thousand years." 

''Immodest words admit of no defence, 
For want of decency is zvant of sense/' 

One of the most historic structures in the world was 
the Campanile, or the bell-tower of St. Mark's Ca- 
thedral in Venice. Not long since it fell. One aged 
Lugui Vendrasco knew its danger. For ten years he 
had not ceased to beg the government to allow him to 
put the Campanile in better order. But his warnings 
were unheeded. One Sunday morning he took his son 
to see it. As the young man looked upon the crack 
he said, ''That's nothing. A small crack like that can 
really do no harm to such a building." Replying, the 
father said, "Son, it is not the crack. It is that of which 
the crack is the effect and symbol. Our Campanile is 
doomed." The next morning it fell with an awful 
crash. In like manner many a man has come tumbling 
down. His character was not safe because of some 

47 



48 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

flaw in it. Improper words prove its great defect as 
the crack did the weakness of the Campanile. 

Stephen Price, once Mayor of New York, and a 
warm friend to boys, lost his life in a steamboat dis- 
aster. When his body was recovered, a scrap of paper 
was found in his pocket-book. It was so worn with 
oft reading that the words were scarcely legible, but two 
paragraphs were finally made out, one of which was: 
''Good company and good conversation are the very 
sinews of virtue." In fact, these are inseparable. Con- 
versation is a reflex of character, and no boy can asso- 
ciate with another who delights in slangy, smutty talk 
without being more or less contaminated. 

IMPROPER WORDS. 

A very common and bad habit of some boys is the 
attachment of improper words to a sentence, as if it 
made it more binding. These in no sense give grace 
or beauty to language. They do not round out a period 
or enrich a metaphor. They define nothing, bound 
nothing, measure nothing, mean nothing, accomplish 
nothing, and he who uses them should be shunned. 
Vulgar expressions are never in order. "They help," 
as South says, ''no one's education or manners. They 
are disgusting to the refined, abominable to the good, 
insulting to those with whom one associates, degrad- 
ing to the mind, unprofitable, needless and injurious 
to society," and beneath the dignity of any self-re- 
specting person. "Are there any ladies around?" said 
a young officer to a group of others, "I've a splendid 
story to tell." "There are no ladies present," said 
General Ulysses S. Grant, who overheard the remark, 
"but there are gentlemen here, sir, and what is not fit 
for a lady to hear, is unfit for a gentleman." 

When Coleridge Patterson, the martyred bishop of 
Melanesia, was a boy at Eton, he was enthusiastically 



Be Choice of Language 49 

fond of cricket, at which he was an unusually good 
player. At the cricket suppers at Eton, it was the cus- 
tom to give toasts followed by songs, and these songs 
were often of a very questionable sort. Before one of 
these suppers, "Coley" told the captain that he would 
protest against the introduction of anything that was 
vulgar or indecent. His protest apparently had no effect, 
for during the evening, one of the boys arose and be- 
gan to sing a song which "Coley" thought was not fit for 
decent boys to hear. Whereupon, rising from his seat, 
he said, ''If this sort of thing continues, I shall leave 
the room." It was continued and he left. The next 
day he wrote to the captain of the eleven, saying un- 
less he received an apology, he should withdraw from 
the club. The apology was sent and Patterson re- 
mained. By that stand he showed his character, which 
won the admiration of the rest and brought about a new 
state of affairs. No boy need answer another who ad- 
dresses him in unbecoming language. He might say 
as Stephen A. Douglas, when denounced in the Senate 
in improper language, "What no gentleman should say, 
no gentleman need answer." And as to keeping the 
company of anyone who is inclined to be vulgar, there 
is no law to compel it. Far better be a Coleridge Pat- 
terson in shunning such company. 

AVOID PROFANITY. 

The true gentlemanly boy has a sense of honor, 
scrupulously avoiding profane words as he would pro- 
fane actions. No habit is more unbecoming, useless 
and contagious than swearing. It is the fool's impulse 
and the coward's fortification. It neither helps one's 
manners nor education, and no boy with the least per- 
sonal pride will be guilty of indulging in it. Louis IX 
of France punished everyone who was convicted of 
swearing by searing his lips with a hot iron. 
4 



50 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

George Washington made the following law Au- 
gust 3, 1776, which he caused to be read to the men 
under his command: *'The general is sorry to be in- 
formed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane 
cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known 
in an American army, is growing into fashion; he 
hopes the officers will, by example as well as influence, 
endeavor to check it, and that both they and the men 
will reflect that we can have but little hope of the bless- 
ing of Heaven on our armies if we insult Him by our 
impiety and folly; added to this, it is a vice so mean 
and low, without any temptation, that every man of 
sense and character detests and despises it." 

Years ago the Hon. John Finch visited an asylum in 
the East and asked to see a certain professional gen- 
tleman committed there. He had been a good and 
true man, but by overwork, physical and mental, had 
wrecked himself and become a raving maniac. The 
superintendent of the asylum said, "You will not want 
to see him again, he swears so." As they entered the 
room in which the man was locked in a "straight 
jacket," the most vulgar oaths came from his lips. 
Touching the superintendent Mr. Finch said, "What 
can this mean ? When I knew that man he was one of 
the grandest Christians, true, noble and good in every 
respect ; and now to hear such vile language coming 
from him surprises me." The superintendent said, 
^'He learned to swear when a boy. The impressions 
made on his brain at that period of life when the brain 
most readily receives impressions now become the gov- 
erning ones. In this asylum we can almost uniformly 
tell what have been the habits, customs and abuses of 
insane people when they were children. The brain at 
such times receives impressions readily, the impres- 
sions are permanent, and if they have indulged in vile 
practices, or used bad language, the dethronement of 



Be Choice of Language 51 

reason and intelligent conscience will give to early im- 
pressions and habits the control of the mind." This 
being true, how careful every boy should be, for who 
wants the bad habits of youth noticeable in age ? 

AVOID BLASPHEMY. 

There are many ways in which language may be im- 
properly used, but none more unbecoming and attended 
with more serious consequences than blasphemy, or 
using the nam.e of God or Christ with disrespect. It 
is a presumptuous sin against which God has declared : 
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain," declaring with emphasis, "for the Lord will not 
hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." 

Sometimes, as Jacob Knapp said in his autobiogra- 
phy, "God steps aside from His ordinary course and 
smites presumptuous sinners dead, that they may stand 
as beacon lights to warn others to shun the rocks on 
which they struck." During the Black Hawk war, in 
Illinois, at the time when God sent the cholera among 
the people, an officer cursed God for sending the dis- 
ease into their midst. With an awful oath he opened 
his mouth, and God smote him down even as the word 
trembled on his lips. Such cases are rare, yet the 
words, "will not hold him guiltless," show that He for- 
gets not and that sometime He will hold the blasphemer 
accountable. 

Howard, the philanthropist, on hearing anyone use 
blasphemous expressions, always buttoned up his coat. 
Being asked the reason, he replied, "I always do this 
when I hear men swear, as I think that anyone who 
can take God's name in vain can also steal." Nothing 
so chills one's blood as — 



52 , Stepping Stones to Manhood 

— 'Ho hear the blest Supreme 
Rudely appealed to on each trifling theme; 
Therefore maintain your rank, vulgarity despise, 
To blaspheme is neither brave, polite nor wise. 
You would not do so upon the bed of death; 
Reflect! Your Maker now could stop your breath." 



AMEN 



Many years ago when the Duke of Gordon was 
spending the day in a Scotch village a company of sol- 
diers was drawn up under the window of the room in 
which the duke and a party of friends were enjoying 
themselves. The officer in command was inspecting 
his men's arms and clothes, and if anything displeased 
him he berated the soldier with blasphemous oaths. 
The duke, who abhorred such language, expressed a 
wish that the inspection might soon be over. "If your 
Grace desires it," said one of the company, "I will 
clear the coast of this man of oaths without noise or 
bloodshed." **Do so, and I'll be obliged to you," said 
the duke. The gentleman stepped into the street, took 
his station behind the officer and pulled off his hat. As 
the officer swore, the gentleman, with the grave so- 
lemnity of a parish clerk, said in a loud voice "Amen." 
"What do you mean?" asked the officer, hastily turning 
around. "T am joining with you in prayer," answered 
the gentleman with a grave face. "I thank you, sir," 
rejoined the officer, "but I have no further need for a 
clerk. Soldiers ! to the right-about, march !" And he 
and his soldiers departed, much to the amusement and 
happiness of the duke, after teaching an important les- 
son to the officer that it is wrong to call upon God to do 
this or that, or to belittle others by vile epithets which 
never fail to bring in due time just retribution. 

My boy, the only language to use is the pure and 



Be Choice of Language 53 

refined. By-words, slang phrases, profanity and blas- 
phemy are only uttered by lips whose heart is bad, for 
''out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak- 
eth." Let your tongue utter sound sentences, choice 
words and pleasant expressions, then will they be musi- 
cal to the ears of the good, sweet to the soul of the 
pious, educational to those who associate with you, 
and beneficial to all. From this day put into practice 
the last words of the eloquent John B. Gough. He was 
lecturing in the Presbyterian Church, Frankford, Pa., 
on the night of February 19, 1886. In the course of 
that lecture he said : "I have seven years in the record 
of my own life when I was held in the iron grasp of 
intemperance. I would give the world to blot it out, 
but alas ! I cannot." Then, stepping forward, with an 
impressive gesture, he added, ''Young man, keep your 
record — " but he was unable to finish the sentence, for 
he sank insensible into a chair from which he was 
never able to rise. Evidently he meant to say, "Young 
man, keep your record clean." 

Do not forget that improper words have a reflex in- 
fluence. A fable is told how a bee took an offering of 
honey to Jupiter, which so pleased him that he promised 
to grant the bee whatever it should ask. The bee said, 
"O glorious Jove, give thy servant a sting, that when 
anyone approaches my hive to take the honey, I may 
kill him on the spot." Jupiter answered, "Your prayer 
shall not be granted in the way you wish, but the sting 
you ask for, you shall have ; and when anyone comes to 
take away your honey, and you sting him, the wound 
shall be fatal, not to him, but to you, for your life shall 
go with the sting." So is it to this day. He that curs- 
eth others, curseth himself. Therefore my boy, con- 
trol your tongue, and keep the door of your lips, re- 
membering : 



54 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

'"Tis reason's part 
To govern and to guard the heart, 
To lull the wayward soul to rest, 
When hopes and fears distract the breast; 
Reason may calm this doubtful strife, 
'And steer thy bark through various life." 



CHAPTER V 
Be Ambitious 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER V 
By Booker T. Washington 

Onr natures are like oil ; compound us with anything, 
Yet will we strive to swim to the top. 

— Beaumont. 

Writing of the gentleman who introduces this chapter — the 
Washington of his people in industry, education and religion, 
Paul Dunbar, the negro poet, says : 

"A poor Virginia cabin gave the seed ; 

And from its dark and lowly door there came 

A peer of princes in the world's acclaim, 

A master spirit for the nation's need. 

Strong, silent, purposeful beyond his kind, 

The ark of rugged force on brow and lip, 

Straight on he goes, nor turns to look behind, 

With one idea foremost in his mind 

Like the keen prow of some on-forging ship." 

I WOULD say to every young man, no matter what 
his color, to choose as early as possible a good, 
clean-cut business, something that will help make 
the world better, and then strive in every worthy 
way to make that business the most successful of its 
kind in the world. The boy who lets obstacles over- 
come him will not succeed. The great thing is to suc- 
ceed in spite of discouragements. 



S6 



M 



CHAPTER V 

Be Ambitious 

ANY a pen has been used against this inward 
passion, declaring it a "secret poison, a gal- 
lant madness and the mother of hypocrisy." 
The great Wolsey cried, *T charge thee, fling 
away ambition." Bowes said, "The most aspiring are 
frequently the most contemptible," but there are ex- 
ceptions to the rule. Where there is no aspiration, 
there is no endeavor. It is not wrong to strain mental 
and physical energies to succeed, provided it is to be 
good and to do good. The ambition of Napoleon to lay 
waste the town of Acre was wrong, that of Wellington 
to intercept the "scourge of Europe," right. "To be 
ambitious of true honor, of the true glory and perfec- 
tions of our natures, is," as Sir Philip Sidney said, 
"the very principle and incentive of virtue." 

One of the customs of the Norsemen was that of 
wearing a pickaxe crest with the motto, "Either I will 
find a way or make one." An adage of the day reads, 
"Where there's a will there's a way." What one wills 
to do can usually be done. George Stephenson deter- 
mined to make an engine to run between Liverpool and 
Manchester at the rate of twelve miles an hour. The 
Quarterly Review ridiculed the idea, saying, "As well 
trust one's self to be fired off on a Congreve rocket." 
He did it, nevertheless. Prince Bismarck's greatest 
ambition was to snatch Germany from Austrian op- 
pression and to gather round Prussia, in a North Ger- 

57 



58 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

man confederation, all the States whose tone of thought, 
religion and interest, were in harmony with those of 
Prussia. "To attain this end," he once said, "I would 
brave all dangers — exile, even the scaffold. What mat- 
ters if they hang me, provided the rope with which I 
am hung binds this new Germany firmly to the Prus- 
sian throne ?" And, he did it. 

ASPIRE HIGH. 

There is nothing wrong in aspiring high. George 
Washington proposed to carve his name higher than any 
other on the Natural Bridge in Virginia, and did it. 
Alfred Harmsworth, "king of the penny press," said on 
entering journalism, "I will master the business of ed- 
iting and publishing." At twenty-one he had a little 
capital, at thirty he was a millionaire, and later became 
head of the largest publishing house in the world. 

Emerson once said, "Hitch your wagon to a star." 
It is but a natural condition of a healthful life when 
energies seek an outlet in some lofty activity. Better 
endeavor if but to fail, than never try at all. "I know," 
says Morris, "how far high failure overleaps the bounds 
of low successes." The sense of such makes us capable 
of a grave and holy sense of the real soberness and 
meaning of life. George Eliot in writing the last words 
of her most powerful book, exclaims, "It is so much less 
than what I hoped for." A great artist was once highly 
praised for a beautiful painting which he had just com- 
pleted. "Ah, do not praise me !" he sadly said, "it may 
be very beautiful, but I aimed at perfection." When 
Napoleon started on his campaign he was ridiculed and 
nicknamed "The Little Corporal," which cut him to the 
quick, but it proved to be a goad which stirred him to 
become a great general. In one of our courts a poor 
carpenter was once planing a magistrate's bench, when 
an onlooker inquired, "Why are you so careful with 



Be Ambitious 59 

such a rough piece of furniture?" "Because I wish to 
make it for the time when I shall sit as judge upon it," 
was the reply. And that time came. 

INSTANCES OF SUCCESSFUL AMBITION. 

In 1805 there was born in London a boy of a hated 
and branded people. When sixteen years of age he be- 
came a clerk in a solicitor's office, and, to the amuse- 
ment of his companions, he was wont to say : ''I intend 
to be prime minister of England." He had no liberal 
education, yet he won honors of literary skill and schol- 
arship. He was ambitious, and eventually won his way 
to Parliament. When he attempted to deliver his first 
speech, his highflown style and extravagant gestures 
provoked laughter and hisses, so that he took his seat 
with great mortification. In doing so, he uttered a re- 
markable prophecy, "I shall sit down now, but the time 
will come when you will hear me." True to the utter- 
ance, that time came to Benjamin Disraeli, when, in 
Shakespeare's words he could have said, 'Teople and 
senators ! be not affrighted ; fly not ; stand still ; ambi- 
tion's debt is paid." 

Years ago a poor German boy named Schliemann 
read of the siege of Troy, and made up his mind to find 
the ruins of that ancient city. He procured books and 
taught himself six or seven languages. He persevered 
and prospered until as a merchant he made a fortune. 
Every step of his study and money-making was taken 
with the aim of fulfilling the vow of his boyhood. In 
due time he started eastward with a company of labor- 
ers, and for long years pursued his search. At last suc- 
cess crowned his efforts. Troy was discovered and the 
gold, silver and bronze articles of the Trojan king 
were dug out of his palace, and placed on exhibition 
at South Kensington, England. 



6o Stepping Stones to Manhood 

One day while wandering about Cincinnati a young 
artist saw a sign which read, "Peter Skinner, Chair- 
maker/' "Why can't I make chairs ?" he asked himself. 
He straightway entered the establishment, resolved to 
ask for a position. In order to get to the office, he had 
to pass through the paint room, and the sight of sev- 
eral busy workers prompted him to inwardly exclaim, 
"Anyway I can paint chairs." The firm wanted a hand, 
and he was engaged to come the next morning to work 
in the paint shop. As he wended his way back he tar- 
ried a moment to see how the painters did their work. 
That evening when he reached his room in the board- 
ing-house, he borrowed a brush and an old chair, and 
began practising. Next morning he was on hand at 
the chair factory and there continued to work for two 
months at nine dollars per week. No one ever discov- 
ered that he was not an experienced chair-painter. 
During his leisure time at the boarding-house he made 
pencil drawings and dropped them carelessly on the 
floor so that they would attract attention. The land- 
lord, a colonel in the militia, possessed a strong, char- 
acteristic face and the artist drew him in uniform, and 
dropped this picture on the floor of his room. His 
chief ambition was to return to portrait painting. He 
thought the drawing would please the colonel, and it 
did ; so much so, that it led to his receiving a commis- 
sion to paint the portraits of the colonel and his family, 
consisting of five members, at five dollars each. With 
this work to occupy him he left the chair factory, and 
soon the reputation of James H. Beard, the celebrated 
portrait and animal painter, was made. 

History records thousands of those who have pressed 
their way upward until they were crowned with suc- 
cess in spite of the distressing, discouraging, circum- 
stantial law of gravitation, in which poverty and un- 
couth ancestry have played an important part. What 



Be Ambitious 6r 

these have done, any other boy can do, providing he 
argues not 

''Against heaven's hand or will, not 'bate a jot 
Of heart or hope, but still bear up and steer 
Right onward/' 

THE SPIRIT OF DISCONTENT. 

There is, however, a spirit of discontent manifested 
by many who envy those a few rounds higher on hfe's 
social or business ladder, and who are determined to 
surpass them at whatever cost. Such ambition is justly 
foredoomed to disappointment, like Alexander's, who 
wept because there were no more worlds for him to 
conquer; and like Pisistratus, to whom the Athenian 
law-giver said, ''Were it not for your ambition, you 
would be the best citizen of Athens." 

Ambition that rises from discontent or selfishness is 
false. It lacks conscience to engineer it. A boy is only 
fit to go higher as he demonstrates faithfulness where 
he is. A boy that simply wants to climb without en- 
deavoring to do well in the position he holds is, as 
Beecher said, "Neither fit to be where he is, nor yet 
above it ; he is already too high, and should be put low- 
er." "Out of the frying-pan into the fire," though not 
his motto, will doubtless be his result. 

MASTER OF HIS CRAFT. 

Not long ago, at Ellis Island, a large number of im- 
migrants were awaiting examination. Among them 
was a tall Polish lad with a little black bag under his 
arm. When his turn came to answer the inevitable 
question, "How much money have you ?" he smiled, and 
frankly answered "None." "But don't you know you 
can't come in here if you have no money, and no friend 
to speak for you? Where are you going?" asked the 



02 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

inspector. *'To Fall River first. I have a friend there. 
Then I shall see the whole country. You will hear of 
me," he answered. The inspector proceeded rather 
sharply, ''How will you get to Fall River? Where 
will you eat and sleep to-night ?" "I shall be all right," 
replied the lad confidently. "With this," tapping the 
black bag, 'T can go anywhere." "What is it?" The 
Pole laughed, and opening the bag, took out a cornet. 
It was a fine instrument, and gave evidence of loving 
care. "Can you play it well ?" asked the officer, kindly. 
In answer the young man stepped out into an open 
space, and lifting the horn to his lips, began the beau- 
tiful intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana." At the 
very first note every one in the great building stood still 
and listened. The long lines of immigrants became 
motionless. The forlorn waiters in the pit looked up, 
and their faces became tender. Even the meanest 
among them seemed to feel the charm of the pleading 
notes. When the music ceased, there was a burst of ap- 
plause. Shouts of "Bravo," "Good boy," "Give us some 
more," came from every side. The physicians, who a 
few moments before had made their hurried and not 
over-gentle examination, joined in the applause. The 
officer who had questioned him so sharply slapped him 
on the back. The commissioner himself had come up 
from his office at the sound of the horn, and asked for 
particulars. When he had heard them, he turned to 
the agent of the Fall River boats, and said, "Give this 
lad a passage, including meals, and charge it to me." 
"I will charge it to myself," said the agent, and he took 
the young Pole by the arm and led him away. "With 
this I can go anywhere," showed not only his ambitious 
spirit, but demonstrated faithfulness in the prosecution 
of his studies, which now stood him in good stead and 
made him master of the situation. How true, as Mas- 
singer sang. 



Be Ambitious 63 

''Man was marked 
^A friend in the creation, to himself. 
And may, with fit ambition, conceive 
The greatest blessings and the highest honors 
Appointed for him, if he can achieve them 
The right and noble way." 

HINTS TO SUCCESSFUL AMBITION. 

Ambition, to succeed, must seize opportunity by the 
forelock. ''Behind she is bald ; if you seize her by the 
forelock, you may hold her; if suffered to escape, not 
Jupiter himself can catch her again." "Do that which 
lies nearest you," is an injunction worth obeying, and 
though not the most satisfactory, may be the stepping- 
stone to something higher. John D. Rockefeller, who 
is computed to be worth three hundred million dollars, 
earned his first money hoeing potatoes, and when thirty- 
five years of age owned but a thousand dollars. When 
Edison was a very poor young man, walking the streets 
in search of work, he happened to step into an office 
in Wall street. The telegraph recording machine was 
out of order, and no one could make it work. Instead 
of pleading his case in general statements, he simply 
asked if he might try his hand on the balky machine. 
He was permitted, and was successful. This was the 
turning point in his career toward fortune. He not 
only had knowledge and skill enough to make a machine 
go, but he had wit enough to perceive the opportunity 
just at hand. Some things are difficult to perceive be- 
cause they are close to us. But this is all the more 
reason why we should look for them and with the barest 
possibility seize them. 

Ambition which ennobles, must do well whatever 
there is to be done. Gladstone's advice to boys was, 
"Be thorough in what you do, and remember that, 
though ignorance often may be innocence, pretension is 



64 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

always despicable." President Garfield tells of a school- 
mate who established a factory for the single purpose 
of making hammers, which he had brought to great 
perfection, and in which he took a great pride. 
The statesman said to his old friend, *'By this 
time you must be able to make a pretty good 
hammer." The hammer-maker, who was shipping 
his wares by the thousands to all parts of the earth, 
replied: "No, we do not make any pretty good ham- 
mers ; we make the best hammers that can be made." 
*T commission thee, my son," said an aged artist, whose 
eye was failing and hand trembling, "do thy best." 
The young man hesitated, thinking the duty too vast 
to finish his master's work, but the injunction "do thy 
best" rang in his ears. With prayer for help and high 
purpose in heart, the young man began. As he 
wrought, his hand grew steady, his conception cleared, 
each stroke became a master-stroke until with tearful 
exultation, the aged artist gave over into the hand of 
Leonardo da Vinci the task from which his own tremb- 
ling hand was dropping, which task for da Vinci meant 
a world-wide reputation. 

"I was invited," said the late D. W. Richardson, "to 
give an address at St. Andrew's University, and to lis- 
ten in the evening to a lecture by another man — like my- 
self, an outsider. I was not personally acquainted with 
this other man, but I knew that he filled an important 
judicial office in Scotland, and was considered one of 
the most able and learned, as well as one of the wittiest 
men in that country. He chose for his subject 'Self- 
Culture,' and for an hour held us in a perfect dream of 
pleasure. For my own part, I could not realize that the 
hour had fled. The lecture ended at seven o'clock, and 
at eight I found myself seated at dinner by the side of 
the lecturer, at the house of one of the university pro- 
fessors. In the course of the dinner I made some ref- 



Be Ambitious 65 

erence to the hall in which the exercises of the day had 
been held, how good it was for sound, and what a fine 
structure to look upon. 'And did you like the way in 
which the stones were laid inside?' asked my new 
friend. 'Immensely,' I replied, 'the man who laid 
those stones was an artist who must have thought that 
his work would live through the ages.' 'Well, that is 
pleasant to hear,' he said, 'for the walls are my ain 
daein'.' He had the Scottish accent when in earnest. 
'Fortunate man,' I replied, 'to have the means to 
build so fine a place,' for I thought, naturally enough, 
that, being a rich man, he had built this hall at his own 
expense, and presented it to the university. 'Fortu- 
nate, truly,' he answered, 'but not in that sense. 
What I mean is, that I laid every one of those 
stones with my ain hand. I was a working ma- 
son, and the builder of the hall gave me the job 
of laying the inside stone-work; and I never had a 
job in my life in which I took so much pride and so 
much pleasure.' 

"While this man was working with his hands he was 
working also with his brain. He took his degree, went 
to the bar, and became a man honored throughout the 
country. We applauded his brilliant lecture ; but those 
silent, beautiful stones before him, which echoed our 
applause, must, I think, have been to him one cheer 
more, and a big one." 

Be ambitious, my boy. Embrace every opportunity, 
for such "is the small end of a big thing." The small 
end comes first and may be good as a handle. "My 
chance has come," said Commodore Dewey to a naval 
captain with whom he dined just before leaving Wash- 
ington to assume command of the Asiatic squadron 
early in 1898. "You know, Farragut did not get his 
chance till he was over sixty, but he took it, and — " 
something interfered with the conversation and the 
5 



66 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

sentence was never finished in words, but the rest of it 
reverberated around the world from the roar of Dew- 
ey's guns at Manila. Keep your eyes open. ' Hear, but 
say little. Count the cost before you bargain. Weigh 
matters before you buy, and if there is a possibility of 
success, grasp it. Spare no labor, nor shrink from 
danger, for in the words of Montrose, 

"He either fears his fate too much 
Or his deserts are small, 
That dares not put it to the touch 
To gain or lose it all." 



CHAPTER VI 
Be Industrious 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER VI 

By John T. Rich 

Industry — 
To meditate, to plan, resolve, perform, 
Which in itself is good — as surely brings 
Reward of good, no matter what be done. 

—Pollock. 

Industry stimulates honesty, — honesty for its own sake, not be- 
cause it is the best policy. 

Such sweetened by courtesy, seasons our attainments with a 
delightful relish and portends a rich reward. 

—H. D. Wilson. 

INDUSTRY means success in life. Without it, 
genius, ability, scholarship and good intentions 
are of no avail. By industry, poverty, lack of op- 
portunity and the greatest obstacles in human life 
may be overcome, and success in life assured. 



68 



T 



CHAPTER VI 

Be Industrious 

ii ^ I '^ HE best thing I remember," said Chatmcey 
Depew to a company of young men in New 
York, "was my graduation from Yale. I 
made up my mind that day that I would 
lead a life of scholastic ease. I thought I would read a 
little, write a little, take it easy and have a good time. 
I had a hard-headed father of sturdy Dutch ancestry. 
He had enough money to take care of me, and I knew 
it, and when he discovered that I knew it and intended 
to act accordingly, it was a cold day for me. Said he, 
'You will never get a dollar from me except through 
my will. From this time forth you have to make your 
own way.' Well, I found I had a hard lot of it — no- 
body had a harder one — and my father stood by and 
watched me tussle and fight it out. I bless him for that 
to-night with all the heart and gratitude I have. If he 
had taken the other course, what should I have done? 
I should have been up in Peekskill to-night nursing a 
stove, complaining of the men who have succeeded in 
the world, and wondering by what exceptional luck 
they had got on ; but having my way to dig alone, I got 
beyond everything my father dreamed of, but it was 
done by fourteen, or sixteen, or eighteen hours' work a 
day, if necessary." 

The path to any notable achievement, whether busi- 
ness or professional, is not easy. "No pains, no gains," 
is an old English proverb, which is akin to the well- 

69 



70 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

known one, "No sweat, no sweet." Few are the royal 
roads to fame. Every house Beautiful is situated on a 
hill Difficulty, the pathway to which is lion-guarded. 
He who has not the hardihood to climb the one and 
face the other, will never cross the threshold of the pal- 
ace. Former Chief Justice Chase used to say that when 
he came to Washington, a poor boy, an uncle of his was 
a member of the Cabinet. He went to him and said, 
"I want to get a place under the government." His 
uncle answered, "Salmon, if you want money to buy a 
pickaxe and shovel to go to work out here on the street, 
I will furnish you with the money ; but you shall never 
have a position, under the government, with my con- 
sent." To that act of his uncle Chief Justice Chase 
said he owed his successful career. "Your royal high- 
ness," said Paderewski when told that he was surely in- 
spired, "will be surprised when I tell you that I remem- 
ber the day when I was quite an indifferent player. I 
was determined, however, to be what the world calls a 
genius, and to be a genius I well knew that I must first 
be a drudge, for genius and drudgery always go hand 
in hand. Genius" — and Paderewski spoke excitedly — 
"is three-quarters drudgery — that's what genius is. I 
at one time practiced day after day, year after year, till 
I became almost insensible to sound — became a ma- 
chine, as it were. Now, 'Paderewski is a genius,' says 
the world ! Yes, but Paderewski was a drudge before 
he was a genius !" 

Just as the acorn goes slowly toward the oak, so does 
the babe journey toward the sage. Haydn and Handel 
were years before they presented the world with perfect 
music. Some of the pages of Tennyson's manuscript 
have as many as fifty corrections. Only by filling bar- 
rels with manuscripts and steadily refusing to publish, 
Robert Louis Stevenson attained his exquisite style. 
Millet described his career as ten years of daubing, ten 



Be Industrious 71 

years of despair, and ten years of liberty and success. 
Of the late Professor Joseph H, Thayer of Harvard 
Divinity School, it was said, "His greatness was the re- 
sult, not of native ability alone, but of life-long tireless 
industry." Addressing his students he once asked, 
"Do you wish to become great? Remember it means 
more hours at your desk. The greater you desire to be- 
come, the more hours you must work." Genius is not 
only the capacity for keeping at it, but taking pains in 
its accomplishments. Wellington's military genius was 
said to have been perfected by encounters with difficul- 
ties of apparently the most overwhelming character, yet 
such trained him to self-reliance, courage and the high- 
est discipline. 

A boy once wrote to Henry Ward Beecher soliciting 
his aid in securing an easy place wherein he might make 
his mark. Mr. Beecher replied, "You cannot be an edi- 
tor ; do not try the law ; do not think of the ministry ; 
let alone all ships, shops and merchandise ; abhor poli- 
tics, don't practice medicine ; be not a farmer nor a me- 
chanic, neither be a soldier nor a sailor ; don't work, 
don't study, don't think. None of these are easy. My 
son, you have come into a hard world. I know of only 
one easy place in this world, and that is the grave/' 

INDOLENT BOYS. 

Indolence is a characteristic of some boys. Some one 
wrote : 

''A boy will hunt and a hoy will Ush, 
Or play baseball all day; 
But a boy won't think and a boy won't work, 
Because he's not built that way." 

Doubtless this is a gross exaggeration. All boys are 
not "made that way," though there are some, who, at 
the thought — 



72 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

" — of an errand are as 'tired as a hound', 
Very weary of life and of 'tramping around' ; 
But if there's a hand or a circus in sight, 
They'll follow it gladly from morning till night. 
If there's work in the garden, their heads ache to split! 
And their hacks are so lame that they 'can't dig a hit' ; 
But mention hasehall, and they're cured very soon. 
And they'll dig for a woodchuck the whole afternoon" 

The father of Daniel and Ezekiel Webster on leaving 
the home for a short time gave these boys some special 
work on the farm. On his return he found the labor 
unperformed, and frowning, demanded, "What have 
you been doing Ezekiel?" "Nothing, sir," was the re- 
ply. "Well, Daniel, what have you been doing?" 
"Helping Zeke, sir," he answered. How many boys are 
likewise disposed. They care not, and, if they can help 
it, will not work. They are like 

— "a watch that zvants hoth hands, 
As useless when it goes as when if stands.'^ 

MISCHIEF FOR IDLE HANDS. 

Idleness has been well expressed by the ancients as 
"the burial of a living man." It is "the very rust and 
canker of the soul, the devil's cushion, pillow and chief 
reposal." The boy who courts it will experience no lit- 
tle personal feeling of disgust in after years. When 
along in life, he will be able to say with a French beg- 
gar, who, while undergoing a long imprisonment, tat- 
tooed upon his right arm, "The past has deceived me, 
the present torments me, the future terrifies me." Better 
heed Plato's advice, "Prefer diligence before idleness, 
unless you esteem rust above brightness, for idleness is 
the hour of temptation." 

"Wanted, a well-grown boy v/ho can make himself 
generally useful. Salary moderate to start with." This 



Be Industrious 73 

was the advertisement that had called together some 
twenty-five boys. The merchant talked with one after 
another until only two remained in the outer office. 
''Come in, both of you," called the merchant, "I can tell 
you what I want and what I'm willing to pay." Then 
followed an enumeration of the services expected with 
the promise of two and a half dollars a week with an in- 
crease at the end of each six months. One of the two 
boys turned on his heel and said, 'That settles it! I 
can't afford to work for any such wages as that." 'T'll 
try it," said the other, ''and if I suit you six months will 
soon pass. The two-fifty will pay my actual expenses, 
for I live at home ; then when I get to earning more I 
can help more." Five years passed. The first boy 
idled away his time and went from bad to worse. At 
last he stood in the prisoner's dock awaiting trial for 
forgery. What was his astonishment to behold his 
former friend ranged on the side of the prosecution as 
junior member of a firm of eminent lawyers. There 
was no need for argument on either side, for the poor 
fellow broke down at the sight of his former school- 
mate, and rising, said, 'T'U tell the truth and take my 
punishment. If I'd begun as that young man did five 
years ago I might have been somebody to-day, but I 
was above low wages and didn't believe in small begin- 
nings. Now I am a living example of what pride and 
indolence can do for a boy." Satan is sure to find mis- 
chief for idle hands, and the only way to keep clear of 
his work is to be busy at something, pay or no pay. 

Industry is one of the pet laws of nature, and as Peri- 
ander, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece, said, 
^'Nothing is impossible to industry." It has conquered 
our American forests, built cities as by magic, improved 
prairies and valleys until they blossom like the rose, 
and made our civilization rich with the arts, both liberal 
and fine. Long before the Indians owned California 



74 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

the gold fields were there. Before Franklin found elec- 
tricity in the clouds, it was there. Before Marconi dis- 
covered the unseen waves of air to carry his messages 
across the sea, they were there. All that was needed 
was concentration, careful thinking and earnest, persis- 
tent effort to bring them into use. 

All great men have had the gift of laboring intensely, 
continually and determinedly before succeeding, many 
of whom won their way against heavy odds. Arsaces, 
who founded the Parthian empire, against which the 
mighty hosts of Rome long contended in vain, was a 
mechanic of obscure origin. Andersen, the popular 
Danish author, was the son of a cobbler, and in his ear- 
lier years worked on the bench, doing his literary work 
on scraps of paper during the moments of rest from his 
regular duties. Cararra began his life as a drummer- 
boy and driver of cattle, but subsequently rose to the 
presidency of the Republic of Guatemala. Demosthe- 
nes, the Greek orator and "prince of eloquence," was 
the son of a blacksmith. In his first attempt at public 
speaking, he displayed such a weakness of voice, imper- 
fect articulation and awkwardness that he withdrew 
from the speaker's platform amidst the hooting and 
laughter of his hearers. Giotto, one of the founders of 
Italian art, was a shepherd boy whom Cimabue dis- 
covered drawing sheep in the sand with a pointed stone, 
with such accuracy that he took him as a student. Her- 
schel when a boy, played for balls, and while the dancers 
were lounging round the room he would go out and take 
a peep at the heavens through his telescope. It was 
while doing this that he discovered the Georgium Si- 
dus, which made him famous. Sam.uel Richardson, 
the novelist, was a poor bookseller. He sold his books 
in the front part of the store, while he Vv^rote them in the 
rear. It was a hard struggle. "My own industry and 
God's providence," said he, "have been my whole reli- 



Be Industrious 75 

ance." Lough, the Enghsh sculptor, reached success 
only through self-denial and hard work. He followed 
the plough by day and modelled by night. At length 
he went to London and took lodgings in an obscure 
house in a back street above a grocer's shop, and there 
began his statue of Milo. While working on it he went 
three months without meat. All the coal he used that 
winter was a bushel and a half. When Peter Coxe 
found him he was tearing up his shirt and dipping the 
strips into water to keep the clay moist. At last the 
statue was finished. The roof had been removed to finish 
its head. His work was soon noised abroad and sculp- 
tors took great interest in it. The Duke of Wellington 
went to see it and ordered a statue, and the boy who had 
struggled and suffered so much became the greatest 
sculptor of England. 

"l SEE IT !" 

James Ferguson, the Scotch astronomer, was very 
anxious when a boy to understand the mechanism of 
watches. His father refused to allow him to play with 
his watch, and so James waited until a stranger called 
with a w^atch. "W'ill you be good enough to tell me 
what time it is?" asked the boy. The gentleman told 
him. "Would you be willing that I should look at your 
watch?" continued James. "Certainly," replied the 
gentleman. The boy took the watch eagerly. After 
examining it for a moment he asked, "What makes that 
box go round?" "A steel spring," replied the owner. 
"How can a steel spring in a box turn it round so as to 
wind up all the chain?" The gentleman explained the 
process. "I don't see through it yet," answered the boy. 
"Well, now," said the visitor, who had become inter- 
ested, "take a long, thin piece of whale-bone, hold one 
end of it fast between your thumb and forefinger, and 
wind it around your finger. It will then attempt to un- 



76 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

wind, and if you fix the other end of it to the inside of 
a small hoop and leave it to itself it will turn the hoop 
round and round and wind up a thread tied to the out- 
side." "1 see it ! I see it !" exclaimed the boy, enthusi- 
astically. ''Thank you, very much!" It was not long 
before he had made a wooden watch, which he enclosed 
in a case about the size of a teacup. Soon after this he 
was set to watching sheep by night. Here he took an in- 
terest in the stars with as great a zeal as in the watch 
and ere long became noted as a great astronomer. 

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. 

Boys of to-day are living in the most enlightened age, 
when everything is an improvement of the past. Time 
was when man lived in caves, now in mansions ; when 
he sailed the rivers in dug-outs of trees, now in steam- 
ers; when he traveled overland in ox-carts, now on 
steam cars ; when he depended on fire or candle light to 
banish darkness, now electricity; when he spun cotton 
and wove it by a crude hand machine, now the spinning 
jenny and power loom; when he wrote on the bark of 
a tree with a sharpened iron or stick, now on the finest 
paper with a typewriter; when he sent messages by 
swift runners, now by telegraph. He now holds com- 
munication with other continents by cable, brings dis- 
tant worlds near with the telescope, examines a single 
hair of a fly with the microscope and harnesses the ele- 
ments of nature in his forward movement. All things 
are conquered, utilized and perfected by industry. "For- 
tune," as one said, "is ever on the side of the indus- 
trious, as winds and waves are on the side of the best 
navigators." There is no reason why any industrious 
boy should not reach the pinnacle of success. To do 
so will doubtless mean struggles, hard thinking, careful 
planning, but the end pays for all. 



Be Industrious 77 

My boy, remember there is a place for you in the 
world. A place honorable, useful, influential, but it 
demands tireless exertion, steadfastness of purpose, 
carefulness of detail to reach and hold it. To neglect is 
to invite suffering in the future. "If I neglect my prac- 
tice a day," said Malibran the singer, "I see the differ- 
ence in my execution; if for two days, my friends see 
it ; and if for a week, all the world knows my failure." 

Don't wait my lad, for something to "turn up." 
'Things," said Garfield, "don't turn up in this world 
until somebody turns them up." While ninety-nine per- 
sons wait for chances that never come, the one hun- 
dredth realizing upon his irresistible strength and de- 
termination, makes his chance. "Never mind. What is 
the next thing to be done ?" asked young Huxley, when 
he failed to pass the medical examination on which he 
thought his future depended. Looking back in after 
years at his defeat, the great scientist wrote, "It does 
not matter how many tumbles you have in life, so long 
as you do not get dirty when you tumble. It is only 
the people who have to stop and be washed who must 
lose the race." 

"When I was a boy on my father's farm in Connecti- 
cut," said Collis P. Huntington, — the man who had a 
hundred thousand people in his employ, "I worked 
hard, utilizing every moment, for there was plenty to 
do. But if I had any spare time I did chores for the 
neighbors. I never wanted for anything I needed ! I 
always got it. But many buy things they do not need. 
When I went to New York in 1836 I had quite a sum 
of money, the result of my savings, judicious invest- 
ments, and little tradings about the neighborhood." He 
had an aim in life, and he worked till he accomplished 
it. That person who has not a definite purpose cannot 
expect to succeed. Philip, King of Macedon, lost his 
eye from a bowshot. When the soldiers picked up the 



78 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

shaft they perceived upon it these words, "To Philip's 
eye !" The archer had an aim that accomplished some- 
thing, and he that has not, cannot. 

"It's the hoys to shape the path for men, 
Boys to guide the plow and pen, 
Boys to forward the task begun, 
For the world's great task is never done. 

''It's the hoys who'll work that are needed 
In sanctum or office or shop, 
Rememhering the low lands are crowded 
But there's room for the industrious, on top." 



CHAPTER VII 
Be Studious 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER VII 
By. George S. Cull 

THE boy who would be an intelligent and wise 
man needs to be studious. What may now 
seem irksome employment will prove a de- 
light in after years. Through study he will not 
be a burden to himself, nor will ''his society be," as 
Seneca said, ''insupportable to others." 

Study whenever and wherever you can. Pliny in one 
of his Letters relates how he used spare moments. 
"Sometimes I hunt; but even then I carry with me a 
pocket-book, that whilst my servants are busied in dis- 
posing of nets and other matters, I may be employed in 
something that may be useful to me in my studies ; and 
that if I miss of my game, I may at least bring home 
some of my thoughts with me, and not have the morti- 
fication of having caught nothing." 

In choosing subjects you will not have to combat 
with the difficulties our forefathers met, for in these 
days of cheap paper and cheap printing the whole world 
of literature is open to you. But here, my lad, let me 
warn you against the worthless, the pernicious trash 
with which the literary market is flooded. 

Study history with its descriptions of growth and de- 
cay of nations ; science with its marvels and recent reve- 
lations, biographies of good and great men and nature 
whose pages are always open to view. Study every- 
thing which will lead you to look higher and feel nobler. 



■""itt^^r^^-c^-ii^. 



80 



CHAPTER VII 
Be Studious 

THE impression that study is only for those who 
attend school is decidedly wrong. If carried 
into practice it would prove disastrous to one's 
success. There is no period in life when one 
can afford to be otherwise than studious. Had Henry 
Clay after learning to write by filling a box with sand 
and tracing letters with a pointed stick, or had young 
Daniel Webster, after plucking his pen out of the wings 
of his mother's pet goose and making ink out of the 
soot scraped from the fireplace, ceased to go farther, 
their names as great speakers and writers would not be 
known. 

John Quincy Adams was considered the most learned 
man of his day. When his parents intended to keep 
him in school, he plead so earnestly to leave that they 
gave him his choice between two things, work on the 
farm or school. John said he thought he would work 
and he was therewith assigned with other help in ditch- 
ing. After working three days he became weary of his 
job and coming to his father said : "Father, if you are 
willing I guess I'll go back to school." In after life he 
confessed, "If I have accomplished anything as a schol- 
ar, I owe it to those three days' work in the abominable 
ditch." 

General Lew Wallace, according to his own words, 
was a poor student in his young manhood. He grew 
6 8i 



82 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

tired of his college course after six weeks, and re- 
turned home. Calling him into his office, his father 
took from a pigeonhole in his desk a package of papers 
neatly folded and tied with red tape. These were the 
receipts for his tuition. After reading the items the 
father said, ''That sum represents what I have expended 
to provide you with a good education. After mature 
reflection I have come to the conclusion that I have 
done for you, in that direction, all that can reasonably 
be expected of any parent ; and I have, therefore, called 
you in to tell you that you have now reached an age 
when you must take up the lines yourself. If you have 
failed to profit by the advantages with which I have 
tried so hard to surround you, the responsibility must 
be yours. I shall not upbraid you for your neglect, but 
rather pity you for your indifference which you have 
shown to the golden opportunities you have been en- 
abled to enjoy through my indulgence." 

Lew left the office thinking. The next day he set 
out with a determination to accomplish something for 
himself. He secured employment of the County Clerk 
to copy the records of the courts. For months he 
worked in a dingy, half-lighted room, receiving as com- 
pensation ten cents per hundred words. The tedious- 
ness and regularity of the work was a splendid drill be- 
sides teaching him the virtue of persistence as one of 
the avenues of success. He had a desire to become a 
lawyer, but realizing his deficiency in education he was 
compelled to study evenings. "I was made to realize," 
said he, *'the time I had spent with such lavish prodigal- 
ity could not be recovered, and that I must extract every 
possible good out of the golden moments then flying 
by all too fast." This he did until "Ben Hur," one of 
the greatest books ever published, show how well he 
did it. 



Be Studious 83 

WHAT IT IS. 

To be studious is to be ambitious, to excel, to be 
anxious for the acquisition of such knowledge as will 
be beneficial. From any source it will be gathered as 
the bee gathers honey from any flower. "Drink deep 
or taste not the Pierian spring of knowledge," wrote 
an eminent poet. "Study chiefly," said Lord Bacon to 
Cecil, "what you can turn to good account in your fu- 
ture life." James Russell Lowell once counselled his 
nephew, "A man is valuable in our day for what he 
knows, and his company will be always desired by 
others in exact proportion to the amount of intelligence 
and instruction he brings with him." William E. Glad- 
stone in counselling boys said, "Get all the knowledge 
you can." And Theodore Roosevelt declared, "Shift- 
lessness, slackness, indifference to studying are all most 
certain to mean inability to get on in other walks of 
life." 

A GOOD AIM. 

A boy accompanied an old hunter through the woods 
in search of game. Suddenly a partridge whirred from 
before their feet. The huntsman with steady nerve, 
quick eye and calculating brain brought the bird down 
at the first shot. "How could you aim so quickly ?" the 
lad inquired. "I didn't wait till I got into the woods 
to learn," was his chafling reply. He had done what 
Stone, the author of "The Mathematical Dictionary" 
did when perusing scientific works while aiding his 
father, who was gardener to the Duke of Argyll, had 
done; what David Livingstone did before he became 
Africa's explorer, while in the old Blantyre cotton 
works with a Latin grammar on his spinning jenny ; 
had done, what Ezra Cornell did before he built a two- 
story dwelling for his father's family when only seven- 
teen years of age ; had done, what Henry Clay did with 



84 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"these off-hand efforts" as he called his speeches in the 
corn field before he stirred the country with his ora- 
tions, — made careful preparation beforehand. 

What one will be in manhood depends largely on 
what he is in boyhood. The loftiest attainments are 
nothing more than fruits of earnest study. There is no 
perfection, no great excellence without great labor. "It 
is the deepest soil," said Dewey, "that yields not only 
the richest fruits, but the fairest flowers ; it is the most 
solid body which is not only the most useful, but which 
admits of the highest polish and brilliancy; it is the 
srrongest pinion which not only carries the greatest 
burden, but which soars to the highest flight." It is the 
best education which fits a person for a responsible 
position. If a man succeeds who has had no education 
he does so in spite of his misfortune and not by reason 
of it. Dickens owed less to education than probably any 
literary man. He was not in school two years in his 
whole life, but he was a genius by right divine. Few 
are so richly endowed, hence "a good education is a 
young man's best capital." 

THE DUNCE. 

He was called the dunce. His teacher would stand 
him apart from his class, for he could not or would not 
learn. One day a gentleman came into the room and 
seeing the lad standing, inquired the reason. "Oh, he 
is good for nothing," replied the teacher. "There's 
nothing in him. I can make nothing out of him. He 
is the most stupid boy in the school." The gentleman 
was stirred to pity. Going to him, he placed his hand on 
the head of the humiliated lad and said, "One of these 
days, you may be a fine scholar. Don't give up, but 
try, my boy, try." The boy's soul was aroused. His 
dormant intellect awoke. A new purpose was formed. 
Clinching his teeth, he said, "I will." From that hour 



Be Studious 85 

he became ambitious and studious. He became a great 
scholar, an author of a well-known commentary on the 
Bible, and was beloved and honored by many. This 
dunce was the celebrated Adam Clarke. 

The same was true of others. Isaac Newton was 
kicked by the brightest boy in the school because he 
was the most ignorant, but he said, "Never mind, I'll 
repay him by beating him in my studies." After a long 
time of earnest effort he did it. Oliver Goldsmith in 
his boyhood was very stupid, but he resolved to surprise 
his fellow students, and this he did by writing that pop- 
ular book, the "Traveller." Sir Walter Scott was nick- 
named the "blockhead" when a student, but he declared, 
"I'll make them change it," and change it they did. 
Through close study he attained such eminence that he 
was afterward styled, "The Wizard of the North." Sir 
William Jones, the greatest scholar of Europe, was not 
a bright student. He was put into a class beyond his 
years, and where all the scholars had the advantage in 
that they had previous instruction that had been denied 
him. The teacher accused him of dullness, and all his 
efforts could not raise him from the foot of the class. 
He was not daunted. Procuring for himself grammars 
and other elementary text books, which the rest of the 
class had gone through in private terms, he devoted the 
hours of play, and some of the hours of sleep, to the 
mastering of them. By this he soon shot ahead of his 
fellow pupils, and became the leader of the class and the 
pride of Harrow School. Dean Stanley was declared 
by Mr. Rawson, his schoolmaster, to be the stupidest 
boy at figures who ever came under his care, save only 
one, who was yet more hopeless, and was unable to 
grasp simple addition and multiplication, yet Arthur 
Stanley rose like a rocket at Rugby, achieved fame in 
Oxford and became a blessing to mankind. The other 
developed a phenomenal mastery of arithmetic. Years 



86 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

after he would make a budget speech of three hours' 
length and full of figures. He is known throughout 
the world as William E. Gladstone. 

HOW TO STUDY. 

Boys of studious mind may achieve an education if 
they desire. It may not be such as will enable them to 
secure a diploma from a college, but such as will make 
them successful and useful. All should strive for a 
college education. It is an investment, the returns of 
which in after years will be worth more and may do 
more than gold. Kitto, who was one of the greatest 
Biblical scholars in the world, receiving from the Uni- 
versity of Geissen the degree of Doctor of Divinity, 
craved for the greatest knowledge of his day. Not- 
withstanding his affliction of deafness he begged his 
drunken father to take him from the poor-house and 
let him struggle for an education. Said he, "I know 
how to stop hunger. Hottentots live a long time on 
nothing but gum. Sometimes when hungry they tie a 
band around their bodies. Let me go. I can do as, 
they do. There are blackberries and nuts in the hedges, 
and turnips in the fields and hay-ricks for a bed. Let 
me go." And go he did with the already mentioned 
result. 

Should circumstances, however, prevent a college 
education, every boy should use the margins of time in 
reading books and studying principles until he attains 
a cultured mind. Reading is one of the great means of 
education, and whether it be a blessing or curse, de- 
pends on what is read. By reading one communes with 
the mightiest and wisest minds. Great men have usu- 
ally been great readers. Abraham Lincoln and James 
A. Garfield used to read and study lying flat upon the 
floor before the fire. Hugh Miller, after working from 
early morn to night as a stone-mason, managed to find 



Be Studious 87 

time after his hours of work to read every good book 
he could secure, pondering over them during the day. 
In this way he became eminent as a scholar, and when 
the time came in Scotland's history that some man 
should plead for her ecclesiastical freedom from State 
domination, Hugh Miller stepped to the front, though 
until he was thirty-three years old he was nothing more 
than a studious stone-mason. 

To remember what one reads is of great importance. 
It is not the amount of matter read but the amount re- 
membered. Lord Macaulay always stopped at the foot 
of each page and gave a verbal account of what he read. 
Said he, "At first I had to read it three or four times 
before I got my mind firmly fixed. But I compelled 
myself to comply with the plan, until now, after I have 
read a book once through, I can almost recite it from 
beginning to end. It is a very simple habit to form 
early in life, and is valuable as a means of making our 
reading serve the best purpose." 

Granville Sharp was only an apprentice to a linen 
draper in London. To know the exact meaning of the 
Scriptures he mastered the Greek and Hebrew lan- 
guages. A poor lame and almost blind African who 
had been cured by his brother's medical skill was rec- 
ognized on the streets of the metropolis by his old 
master and claimed as a slave. Granville resolved that 
the negro shall never more be in bondage. But what 
can he do? Slavery was then a legal right. Lord 
Chief Justice Mansfield was of the opinion that a slave 
did not become free by coming to England. Granville 
Sharp soon decided on his course. For two years he 
read and memorized law. Then came the tract from his 
pen, "Injustice of Tolerating Slavery in England,'* 
which changed the mind of Mansfield and eventually 
made the slave-trade of England illegal. 

Every boy should study by concentrating his mind. 



88 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

The reason of so much ignorance is not through a lack 
of educational facilities, but lack of will force and men- 
tal force to master a subject in hand. Many a boy 
commits his lessons parrot-like, with little or no dis- 
position to understand the whys and wherefores, while 
another studies and inquires until he comprehends the 
reason of all that he learns. The result is, one masters 
his study, the other is mastered by his study. When Sir 
Isaac Newton was asked "how he had discovered the 
true system of the universe" he replied, "By continually 
thinking upon it." 

EYES OPEN. 

Every boy should study with eyes open. The in- 
spired penman declared, "The wise man's eyes are in 
his head," not in his elbows or feet, though multitudes 
act as if they were. But "in his head," just where they 
ought to be. In other words, the "wise man" is a care- 
ful observer; he possesses this faculty of comprehend- 
ing the nature and reason of things. Not that observa- 
tion alone insures success but this is one of the leading, 
indispensable elements of it. 

Professor Morse, who was judge of pottery at the 
World's Fair, Chicago, being asked to what he attribu- 
ted his knowledge, answered, "To the habits of close 
inspection acquired in my boyhood when collecting 
shells." General Sherman explains his victorious 
march to the sea by saying that during his college days 
he spent a summer in Georgia. While his companions 
were occupied with playing cards and foolish talk the 
young soldier tramped over the hills, made a careful 
map of the country and years later his expert knowl- 
edge won the victory. 

Many persons go through life without an observa- 
tion that is educative. Ten men will observe a steam- 
engine only to admire its novelty, one studies each valve 



Be Studious 89 

and screw until he understands the principle on which it 
is constructed. Ten travelers will pass through the 
country without noticing special peculiarities, one ob- 
serves each tree, flower, hill, valley and river. Ten 
readers will skim over a book, catching only its general 
drift, one criticises style, expression and thought and is 
rapt with its beauties and sensitive to its faults. These 
are they who profit themselves and benefit others. 

USING THE MOMENTS. 

Every boy should study by utilizing the moments. 
As success in business depends upon the small margin 
of profit secured and retained, rather than upon the 
large volume done, so success in life may depend upon 
our ability to save the moments, the precious "margin" 
that is left after we have done the things which are nec- 
essary in order to discharge our duties or earn our daily 
bread. 

Dr. Cotton Mather would express his regret after the 
departure of a visitor who had wasted his time, "I 
would rather have given my visitor a handful of money 
than have been kept so long out of my study." Caesar, 
it is said, would not permit a campaign, however ex- 
acting, to deprive him of minutes when he could write 
his Commentaries. Schliemann standing in line at the 
post-office and waiting for his letters when a boy, saved 
the fragments of time by studying Greek from a pocket 
grammar. Heine, the noted classicist of Germany, 
while shelling peas with one hand for dinner, held his 
book in the other. Matthew Hale's "Contemplations" 
was composed while he was traveling as circuit judge. 
Henry Kirke White learnt Greek while walking to and 
from a lawyer's office. Elihu Burritt is said to have 
mastered eighteen languages and twenty-two dialects 
by improving the fragments of time in his blacksmith's 
shop. William E. Gladstone and Lord Lyttelton in 



90 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

their younger days always carried one of the smaller 
classics in their pockets to read if they had a leisure 
moment. Sir James Paget, in his youth, made tables 
of Cuvier's classifications while dressing, which he 
posted in his bedroom. Cardinal Manning, when an 
undergraduate at Oxford, acquired a satisfactory Italian 
vocabulary during the time spent in shaving. Phillips 
Brooks combined the processes of shaving and study^ 
and, it is said that Theodore Roosevelt carries con- 
stantly a small volume of Plutarch or Thucydides to 
read in spare moments. Fifteen minutes thus saved, or 
utilized, four times a day, gives us thirty hours in a 
month, the working time of about sixty days of six 
hours each in a year, or about five years' study in thirty 
years' time, and five years well used yield more fruit 
than a whole lifetime squandered. 

PLEASURE AND PROFIT. 

Every boy should study for the pleasure and profit 
there is in it. Knowledge is power, and sometime, 
somewhere, the information will come useful. When 
Sherman's troops were passing through a critical ex- 
perience during the Civil War, they captured a telegraph 
line of the enemy. Hastily cutting the wire, the Gen- 
eral inquired if any of his men understood telegraphy. 
A young officer stepped forward saying, "One vaca- 
tion I studied this art just for the pleasure of it." 

When Bishop Whipple came to Chicago to preach 
he was anxious to reach the many artisans and railway 
operatives. He called upon William McAlpine, the 
chief engineer of the Galena Railway, and asked his 
advice as to the best way of approaching the employes 
of the road. "How much do you know about a steam 
engine?" asked McAlpine. "Nothing." "Then," said 
McAlpine, "read 'Lardner's Railway Economy' until 
you are able to ask an engineer a question about a loco- 



Be Studious 91 

motive and he not think you a fool." The clergyman 
had the practical sense to see the justice of that ad- 
vice. So he ''read up," and in due season went to the 
round-house of the Galena Railway, where he found a 
number of engineers standing by a locomotive which the 
firemen were cleaning. He saw that it was a Taunton 
engine with inside connections, and asked, at a venture, 
"Which do you like best, inside or outside connections ?" 
This brought out information about steam heaters and 
variable exhausts, and in half an hour he had learned 
more than his book had ever taught him. When he said 
good-by, he added : "Boys, where do you go to church ? 
I have a free church in Metropolitan Hall, where I shall 
be glad to see you, and if at any time you need me, shall 
be glad to go to you." The following Sunday every 
man was in church. 

Years ago, when Mr. Gladstone was in active politi- 
cal service, he made some public addresses during a par- 
liamentary recess that gave offence to the leaders of the 
opposite party. They thought it necessary to disci- 
pline him by what would be regarded as an official re- 
buke, when Parliament should reassemble. He was to 
be convicted of breach of courtesy and violation of con- 
situtional rights. In due course the reprimand was ad- 
ministered. A Conservative statesman of distinction 
was set up to chastise the offending lion. He rejoiced as 
a strong man to run a race. A splendid audience was 
present to see the thing done properly, and the Conser- 
vative orator's wife had taken with her a party of 
friends to the House of Commons to aid in swelling the 
triumph. Through a long speech Mr. Gladstone sat in 
silence. He was accused of ignorance of English his- 
tory and disregard for the English Constitution, rightly 
so sacred to every Englishman. After midnight he 
arose to reply. For two hours he poured forth his match- 
less eloquence. Not a point had escaped him. Not a 



92 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

fact or a sentiment of the arraignment had been over- 
looked or misplaced. He did not indulge in invective. 
He made no counter charges. He emptied out his stores 
of history. He unfolded and eulogized the provisions 
of the British Constitution. He left no loophole of re- 
treat for his adversaries. He overwhelmed them with 
the fulness of his knowledge and his oratory, and routed 
them most ignominiously. The noble lady and her 
friends had no occasion to celebrate a triumph. Mr. 
Gladstone's victory was largely due to his marvellous 
power of early study. 

My boy, be studious. You will find sometime a market 
for everything you know. Be patient in your studies. 
If things do not seem clear, do not give up. A dull, 
hazy morning often turns out a bright day. Dryden 
would think for two weeks in the composition of one of 
his odes. There are few things which patient labor will 
not enable one to accomplish. Difficulties like spectres 
melt when approached. It is not one stroke of the axe 
that fells the tree, or one blow of the hammer that de- 
molishes the rock, but the repetition. Study everything 
of advantage, but bend energy and mind mostly in the 
line of your life work. Study for what it will do for 
you. Study for what you can do for others, and never 
give up study. 

''The boy that by addition grows. 

And suffers no subtraction; 
Who multiplies the thing he knows. 

And carries every fraction; 
Who well divides his precious time, 

The due proportions giving, 
To secure success aloft will climb. 

Interest compound receiving'* 



CHAPTER VIII 
Be Temperate 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER VIII 

By George W. Bain 

Intoxicants are like anger, they make us strong, 
Blind and impatient, and they lead us wrong; 
The strength is quickly lost, we feel the error long. 

Crabb. 

Temperance is reason's girdle and passion's bridle, the 
strength of the soul, and the foundation of virtue. 

Jeremy Taylor. 

IN all the world there is not to be found an old man, 
who has been a total abstainer from intoxicating 
liquors through all his life, who regrets the rule 
he adopted and kept. Such a man was never 
heard to say : "I am sorry I did not learn to love wine, 
whiskey, ale, beer or brandy when I was young." This is 
a very safe rule for young men, that has not a single ex- 
ception in all the wide world. On the other hand, how 
many have said : ''Drink has been my curse" ? Take the 
pledge, boys, keep it, and you will find it a jewel in na- 
ture, a comfort through life, and a consolation in death. 



94 



CHAPTER VIII 
Be Temperate 

ONE of the great curses, if not the greatest in. 
our land, is intemperance. It is productive of 
murder, lawlessness and crime ; the chief 
agency in the corruption of the ballot, legisla- 
tion and administration of the law ; the voracious con- 
sumer of purity, reputation and health, and the chief ar- 
chitect in establishing mad-houses, orphan asylums, 
prisons and county farms. It demands and controls an- 
nually more than a billion dollars by which bread, meat, 
clothing, shoes and sugar could be purchased for the 
poor, and all schools and Christian missions supported. 
In silver dollars this money could be laid side by side on 
the equator till it formed a band around the earth, while 
the liquor it purchased would fill a canal twenty feet 
wide, twenty feet deep and forty-six miles long. The 
grain alone used by distilleries in the manufacture of the 
destructive drink is fifty million bushels, enough to fur- 
nish three hundred one-pound loaves of bread to each 
family in the United States. No wonder that ''ninety- 
nine of every hundred men," as John B. Gough said, 
"are ruined morally, intellectually and religiously by 
the use of drink," and that fifty of every hundred insane 
persons, seventy-five of every hundred prisoners, and 
ninety-six of every hundred tramps are made thus by 
this evil. Far better that every boy "touch not, taste 
not." Longfellow said : 

95 



96 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"It will make thy heart sore 
To its very core! 
Its perfume is the breath 
Of the angel of death. 
And the light that within it lies 
Is the flash of his evil eyes. 
Beware! Oh, beware! 
For sickness, sorrow and ca/re 
Are all there." 

A GREAT statesman's DOWNFALL. 

In one of the older colleges in Massachusetts years 
ago, there was a boy of great promise, bearing an hon- 
ored name, and concentrating in his own intellect the 
mental power of generations of ancestors. He was a 
prodigy in learning. He seized a language almost by 
intuition. His person was faultless ; his hair like the 
raven's wing, his eye like the eagle's. On the day of his 
graduation he married a charming young lady. His 
profession, the law, led him to the highest office of ad- 
vocacy in the State. He was Attorney General at an 
age when most students are admitted to the bar. Sud- 
denly, when as yet no one knew the cause, he resigned 
his high appointment, giving no reasons. He was a se- 
cret drunkard. Too high was his sense of honor, and 
the importance of his station, to intrust himself longer 
with the destinies of society. As years rolled by he sunk 
like a mighty ship in mid-ocean, not without many a 
lurch, many a sign of righting once more to plow the 
proud seas that were destined to entomb him forever. 
His lovely wife left him, and, returning to her parents, 
died of a broken heart. With bowed head at the grave, 
he wept bitterly on the head of a dear boy she had left 
behind. Friends of his, men of talent and piety, prayed 
over him, and at times he would get the better of the 
demon that ruled him, and again put forth his gigantic 



Be Temperate 97 

powers. The greatest effort he exerted during this 
period was in an important case before the Supreme 
Court of the United States. Marshall, the patriarch of 
American judges, gazed with wonder on the barrister, 
as burst after burst of eloquence and oratory followed. 
George Briggs, member of Congress from Massachu- 
setts, seeing his splendid portrait hanging in a conspicu- 
ous place at Washington, inquired who it was, and was 
told "that is the portrait of Talcott, the brilliant genius,, 
the most talented man in the United States." In his. 
last spasm of temperance he wrote a beautiful tract: 
"'The Trial and Condemnation of Alcohol." After a 
fatiguing argument before a court in the city of New 
York, he was over-persuaded by a friend to take a 
glass of beer. It was his last sober moment till he was 
in the agonies of death. Down, down he went and never 
rose to assume manliness again. As the fabled phoenix 
is said to rise from the ashes of its parent, one of the 
most noble and eloquent advocates of temperance 
proved to be the son of this ruined genius. 

A GREAT DELUSION. 

It is a great delusion for boys to think it manly to 
drink. Manliness implies strength and courage. A 
drunkard lacks both. He might be brutal, but he is a 
coward. Manliness also implies reason, and when we 
consider that liquor robs one of this, a boy shows his 
manliness by letting it alone and helping others do the 
same. Liquor is a poison. Incorporated in it is a 
deadly drug known as alcohol. Drop a little on the eye 
and it destroys the sight. Sprinkle a few drops on the 
leaf of a plant and it will kill it. Immerse a tadpole in it 
and it ceases to live. Drink it and its action produces 
weakness, and its reaction nervousness. In a word, 
alcohol is the devil's best drug and the boy's worst 
enemy. Said General Harrison, "I was one of a class 
7 



98 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

of seventeen young men who graduated at college. The 
other sixteen now fill drunkards' graves. I owe all my 
health, my happiness and prosperity to a resolution I 
made when starting in life, that I would avoid strong 
drink. That vow I have never broken." 

WHAT TEMPERANCE DID FOR A MAN. 

In 181 2 the town of Farmington, New Hampshire, 
saw a poor boy. When old enough he was bound out 
to a farmer. Afterward he learned a trade. He worked 
well and studied evenings. A friend took an interest 
in him and encouraged him to attend and speak at a 
political meeting. ''How can I be anything when my 
father is a drinking man?" he was wont to say. He 
solemnly signed the pledge of total abstinence and be- 
gan speech-making. Soon the yOung men said : *'Let us 
send him to the Legislature." At every step he did 
his best. Finally Massachusetts sent a petition by him 
to Congress. John Quincy Adams invited him to din- 
ner. While at dinner, Mr. Adams filled his glass, and 
turning to the young man, said : ''Will you drink a glass 
of wine with me ?" He hated to refuse, there was the 
ex-President of the United States, and a company of 
great men. All eyes were upon him, and so he hesitated 
and grew red in the face, but finally stammered : "Ex- 
cuse me, sir, I never drink wine." The next day the 
whole account came out in the Washington papers. It 
was copied all over Massachusetts, and the people said : 
"Here is a man who stands by his principles. He can 
be trusted. Let us promote him." He was made Con- 
gressman and Senator. Finally he became Vice-Presi- 
dent of the country. That farmer-boy was Henry Wil- 
son. 

When elected to this office, he gave his friends a din- 
ner. The table was set without one wine-glass upon it. 
^'Where are the glasses?" asked several of the guests. 



Be Temperate 99 

merrily. "Gentlemen/^ said Mr. Wilson, "you know 
my friendship and my obligation to you. Great as they 
are, they are not great enough to make me forget the 
rock whence I was hewn and the pit whence I was dug. 
Some of you know how the curse of intemperance over- 
shadowed my youth. That I might escape I fled from 
my early surroundings. For what I am, I am indebted 
to God, to my temperance vow and to my adherence to 
it. Call for what you want to eat, and if this hotel can 
provide it, it shall be forthcoming ; but wine and liquors 
can not come to this table with my consent, because I 
will not spread in the path of another the snare from 
which I escaped." At this, three rousing cheers rent 
the room for the man who had the courage to stand by 
his noble convictions. 

BE A TOTAL ABSTAINER. 

It pays to be a total abstainer. "Abstinence," said 
Bishop Spalding, "is but negative, a standing aloof from 
what hinders or hurts." The tendency of drink is to 
deaden the moral sensibilities. It weakens the nerves, 
impairs the brain, feeds disease and at last "bites like a 
serpent and stings like an adder." On the other hand, 
"temperance is a bridle of gold, and he who uses it 
rightly is more like a god than a man." Nothing is so 
conducive to one's happiness and success in life. Bur- 
dette said, "Honor never has the delirium tremens ; 
glory does not wear a red nose; fame blows a horn, 
but never takes one." 

There is a story told of Hannibal, the great Cartha- 
ginian, who fought so long and so successfully against 
the Romans, that when he was still a boy of nine years, 
his father Hamilcar asked him if he would like to go to 
the wars with him. The child was delighted at the 
thought. "Then," said his father, "you must swear that 
you will, as long as you live, hate the Romans and fight 



lofC. 



loo Stepping Stones to Manhood 

against them." Young Hannibal took the oath, and all 
through life was the bitter enemy of Rome. He took 
sides with his father and his country against the proud 
foes. The boy who wishes to succeed in life must in- 
corporate "no liquor" in his resolutions, and under all 
circumstances refuse it, choosing rather to be an ad- 
vocate of ennobling temperance. 

It pays to be a total abstainer, because it is right. It 
is not so much a question of dollars saved or happiness 
promoted as a question of right. Said Amos Law- 
rence, "Young men, base all your actions upon a sense 
of right, and in so doing, never reckon the cost." In the 
army, drinking and treating were common occurrences. 
One noble captain had the heroism to decline the oft- 
proffered treat. An observer asked, "Do you always 
reject intoxicating liquor?" "Yes." "Do you not take 
it to correct this Yazoo water?" "Never." "You must 
have belonged to the cold water army in your youth." 
"Yes, but I learned something better than that; my 
mother taught me that what is right is right, and com- 
ing to Mississippi makes no difference. It would not 
be right for me to accept an invitation to drink at home, 
it is no more right here ; therefore I don't drink." 
Some time after an officer met a lady who wanted to 
see one who had met her boy, naming his office and 
regiment. He told her of the noble examples of piety 
which were found in the army and related the case of 
the captain. She exclaimed, "That's beautiful ! That's 
beautiful ! His mother must be proud of him." "Yes, 
she is, and you are that mother." Amid grateful tears 
she exclaimed, "Is that my boy? Is that my Will? 
It's just like him; I knew he would do so. He was a 
good boy. He told me he always would be and I knew 
he would." Beautiful trust. Excellent commenda- 
tion. Would that it could be said of every boy. 

It pays to be a total abstainer for the sake of those 



Be Temperate loi 

who suffer through intemperance. The good and wise 
Governor Buckingham, of Connecticut, gave as his rea- 
son for being a total abstainer, *'If I indulge, I am not 
safe. There is no degradation so low that a man will 
not sink to it, and no crime so hellish that he will not 
commit it, when he is drunk. But if it could be proved 
conclusively to my own mind that I could drink and 
never be injured, yet I could not be certain but others, 
seeing me drink, might be influenced to drink also, and, 
being unable to stop, pass on in the path of the drunk- 
ard." Were many more as considerate there would be 
less drinking husbands, and less despised and taunted 
children because of drunken fathers. 

TWO SAD CASES. 

Who would ever think of a two-dollar bill relating a 
sad story and giving a pathetic warning? Yet such a 
bill was brought to the office of a Temperance Union 
recently. Written in red ink a poor man told what liq- 
uor had done for him, and what it would do for others. 
Here is what it said, ''Wife, children and $40,000 all 
gone. I alone am responsible. All have gone down 
my throat. When I was twenty-one I had a fortune. 
I am now thirty-five years old. I have killed my beau- 
tiful wife, who died of a broken heart ; have murdered 
my children with neglect. When this bill is gone I do 
not know how I am to get my next meal. I shall die a 
drunken pauper. 'Tis my last money and my history. 
If this bill comes into the hands of any man who drinks, 
let him take warning from my ruin." 

When Colonel Alexander Hogeland was sitting in his 
room at Louisville some years ago, a lame boy knocked 
at the door. Said he, *'My father is to be hung to- 
morrow. The Governor will not pardon him. He 
killed my mother when he was drunk. He was a good 
father, and we were always happy only when he drank. 



I02 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Won't you go and talk and pray with him, and then 
come to our house when his body is brought to us?'^ 
The Colonel did as requested, and found that the demon 
drink was the sole cause of that family's ruin. The 
father was hung, and when the body was taken to the 
home, he was there. Six worse than orphans were 
curled up on a bundle of straw and rags, crying with a 
grief that would make the stoutest heart quail. The 
crippled boy but fourteen years of age was the sole sup- 
port of the little family. The father's body was 
brought in by two officers. The plain board coffin was 
rested upon two old chairs, and the officers hurried out 
of the room and away from the terrible scene. *'Come," 
said the crippled boy, "come and kiss papa's face before 
it gets cold;" and all six children kissed the face of 
that father, and, smoothing the brow, sobbed in broken 
accents, "Whiskey did it. Papa was good, but whiskey 
did it." 

My boy, be temperate. Do your best to stop another 
such scene. Sign the pledge. Talk against, work 
against, and when able, vote against the liquor interests. 
"Woe to the man or boy who becomes a slave to liquor,'* 
said General Phil. Sheridan. "I had rather see my son 
die to-day than to see him carried to his mother drunk. 
One of my brave soldier-boys on the field said to me 
just before a battle, 'Tell mother, if I am killed, I have 
kept my promise to her. Not one drink have I ever 
tasted.' The boy was killed. I carried the message 
with my own lips to the mother. She said, 'General, 
that is more glory for my boy than if he had taken a 
city.' " 



CHAPTER IX 
Be Free of the Weed 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER IX 
By Asa Clark 

THE influence of example is always a powerful 
one. With such wide-spread habits as those 
of tobacco smoking and chewing it is little 
wonder why so many boys indulge. They see 
only the pleasureable side of these habits ; but it devolves 
upon us, from our daily experience with "the ills that 
flesh is heir to" to make known to you young friend the 
dangers lurking in these seductive vices. We doctors 
are often consulted by victims of these habits, who are 
quite surprised upon stopping the use of tobacco to find 
to what a degree they have become enslaved. That the 
baneful effect from the use of tobacco is universally 
recognized is evidenced by the fact of its prohibition in 
schools and naval academies, and by the laws now in 
force in several of the States and also in Germany, mak- 
ing it illegal to sell tobacco to any under sixteen years of 
age. 

Tobacco is especially injurious to those subjected to 
severe mental strain or physical training, and to such as 
are engaged in delicate manual work. The symptoms 
are many. Digestion is sometimes greatly impaired. 
On the heart the effect is very noticeable. My advice to 
boys is, not to use tobacco in any form. 



..<^<^ c^c.^^ 



104 



CHAPTER IX 
Be Free of the Weed 

AN old monk was once walking through a forest, 
with a scholar by his side. He suddenly stop- 
ped and pointed to four plants that were close 
at hand. The first was just beginning to peep 
above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into 
the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth 
was a full-sized tree. Turning to his young companion 
he said : "Pull up the first." The boy easily did so. "Now 
pull up the second." The youth obeyed, but not so 
easily. "And now the third." The boy had to put forth 
all his strength, and use both arms, before he succeeded 
in uprooting it. "And now," said the master, "try your 
hand upon the fourth." But although the lad grasped 
the trunk of the tree in his arms, he scarcely shook its 
leaves, and found it impossible to tear its roots from the 
earth. Then the wise old man explained to his scholar 
the meaning of the four trials. 

"This, my son, is just what happens with our bad 
habits and passions. When they are young and weak, 
one may, by a little watchfulness over self, easily tear 
them up ; but if we let them cast their roots deep down 
into our souls, no human power can uproot thern. 
Only the almighty hand of the Creator can pluck them 
out. For this reason, my boy, watch youp first im- 
pulses." 

105 



io6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ORIGIN AND POISON OF TOBACCO. 

Tobacco-using is frequently the beginning and step- 
ping-stone to other vices. Many who have hesitated in 
entering a saloon or gambling place have not done so in 
the use of tobacco. 

The origin of tobacco is shrouded in mystery. Mezen 
was of the opinion that the Chinese used it from an- 
tiquity. Dr. Lizards says it existed in Asia from early 
times. Columbus in his discovery of Cuba tells how he 
found the natives "carrying with them firebrands, puf- 
fing smoke from their mouths and noses, which he sup- 
posed to be the way they had of perfuming themselves." 

An ancient tradition relates that there was once a 
Mohammedan passing along who found a viper lying in 
his path, almost chilled to death. In pity the Moslem 
stooped, picked up the serpent, and put it into his 
bosom to warm it. After a while the viper fully re- 
vived and became aware of its situation. He said ta 
the man, "I'm going to bite you." "O, no ! please 
don't," said the man. "If I had not taken you up and 
warmed you, you would even now have been chilled to 
death." The viper replied, "There has been a deadly 
enmity existing between your race and mine ever since 
the world began, and by Allah, I am going to bite you.'^ 
"Very well," said the man, "since you have sworn by 
Allah I will not prevent you, but bite me here on my 
hand." He did so, and the man immediately placed the 
wound to his lips and sucked the venom out and spit it 
on the ground ; and from the place where he spit the 
poison a little plant sprang up which was — tobacco. 

Though this story be not true, yet true it is that to- 
bacco contains a very strong poison, known as nicotine, 
supposed to be "the juice of cursed Hebanon," referred 
to in Hamlet. In one pound of Kentucky and Virginia 
tobacco, there is, according to Dr. Kellog, an average of 
three hundred and eighty grains of this poison, which is. 



Be Free of the Weed 107 

estimated to kill two hundred and fifty people if ap- 
plied in its native form. "A single leaf of tobacco dip- 
ped in hot water," said Dr. Coles/'and laid upon the pi<" 
of the stomach will produce a powerful effect by mere 
absorption from the surface. By being applied to a 
spot where the scarf skin, or external surface of the 
skin is destroyed, fearful results are liable to follow, and 
no man can use it without being affected by it." 

HOW TOBACCO INJURES. 

Tobacco injures physically. ''No less," said Dr. 
Shaw, "than eighty diseases arise from it, and twenty- 
five thousand lives perish annually from it." A young 
man asked Wendell Phillips if he should smoke, and 
that statesman answered : "Certainly not. It is liable to 
injure the sight, to render the nerves unsteady, to en- 
feeble the will and enslave the nature to an imperious 
habit likely toi stand in the way of duty to be per- 
formed." Many professors of leading colleges have as- 
serted with figures to prove that boys who begin the 
tobacco habit are stunted physically and never arise to 
the normal bodily development. 

Tobacco injures mentally. Beecher said, "A man is 
what he is, not in one part, but all over." And to have 
a strong mind, one needs a strong stomach. By the use 
of tobacco, the stomach is outraged and the brain be- 
comes narcotized, "the intellect of which," said Prof. 
Cause, "becomes duller and duller until at last it is 
painful to make any intellectual effort and one sinks into 
a sensuous or sensual animal, whose greatest aspira- 
tion is to benumb the nerves and befog the intellect." 
Such assertions may be ridiculed, but as two and two 
make four, they are facts. The French government 
prohibits its use by students in the public schools. The 
Swiss government prohibits its sale to juniors. Dur- 
ing the last fifty years no user of it has graduated from 



io8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Yale, Harvard or Amherst at the head of his class. 
Professor Seely, of the Iowa State Normal, said, "I 
have not met a pupil who is addicted to the habit who 
will go through a single day's work and have good les- 
sons. I have had numbers of cases in which they have 
remained in the same grade for four successive years 
and then they were not ready to be advanced into the 
next higher grade." Dr. Herbert Fisk, of the North- 
western University, Chicago, declared, *'A somewhat 
careful observation of -facts has convinced us that stu- 
dents who get low marks do so through the use of to- 
bacco. Last year not one of the boys who used tobacco 
stood in the first rank of scholarship. This has been 
the usual rule. One year, out of thirty-three pupils in 
the first rank of scholarship, there was but one user of 
tobacco." Dr. Charles A. Blandchard, President of 
Wheaton College, said, ''Among our former students 
who are now physicians, the one who has the largest 
income never touched tobacco. Two are now judges 
of courts in large cities, with salaries of six or seven 
thousand dollars. They do not and have not for years 
used tobacco. Other men, who after graduation, be- 
came smokers, do not exhibit the same mental ability. 
They are, some of them, very able men, but they suffer 
in mind from the use of tobacco." 

Tobacco injures morally. It heads the list of vices. 
It is the first step to bad companionship, lewd conver- 
sation and liquor drinking. The latter and tobacco- 
using are twin habits ; and do you wonder at it when to- 
bacco is saturated with Jamaica rum; while "plug" 
tobacco which is composed of licorice, sugar, cabbage, 
burdock and the refuse of tobacco leaves and other 
weeds, is often found nailed at the bottom of whiskey 
barrels? Said Horace Greeley, ''Show me a drunkard 
who does not use tobacco, and I will show you a white 
blackbird." Many medical witnesses testify that to- 



Be Free of the Weed 109 

bacco using and drinking are kindred habits. When an 
investigation was made in the State prison at Auburn, 
N. Y., some years ago, out of six hundred prisoners 
confined there for crimes committed when they were 
under the influence of strong drink, five hundred testi- 
fied that they began their intemperance by the use of 
tobacco. ''In all my travels," said John Hawkins, "I 
never saw but one drunkard who did not use tobacco." 
"Pupils under the influence of the weed," said Profes- 
sor Seely, ''are not truthful, practice deception and can 
not be depended upon. The worst characteristic of the 
habit is a loss of personal self-respect and of personal 
regard for the customs and wishes of ladies and gentle- 
men, especially when among strangers." 

HOW TOBACCO IS USED. 

Tobacco is used in two ways, smoking and chewing. 
Both are filthy, sickening habits, the latter being the 
more disgusting. For any boy to chew is to exemplify 
bad manners doubtless influenced by bad morals. A 
few years ago a call was issued from London, to the 
scientists of the world to assemble for the discussion of 
whatever scientific subjects might be presented, every 
statement to undergo rigid scrutiny. One member 
said: "Tobacco is not injurious. I have chewed it for 
fifty years, and my father for sixty years, without per- 
ceptible damage. All this cry about it is nonsense." 
The chairman answered : "Step forward, sir, and let us 
canvass this matter thoroughly. How much do you 
chew?" "I chew regularly three quids per day, of 
about this size," cutting off three pieces from his plug. 
One of these was given to a Russian and another to a 
French chemist, with "please return the extract." Then 
the presiding officer said, "Will any young man unac- 
customed to the use of tobacco, chew this third quid be- 
fore the audience? Here are four pounds ($20) to 



no Stepping Stones to Manhood 

anyone who will." A young man stepped forward. 
The audience was requested to scan his looks, cheeks, 
eyes and general appearance, before he took it, and 
closely watch its effects. He soon became pale from 
sickness, then vomited and fainted before the assembly. 
The extract from one quid was given to a powerful cat. 
He flew wildly around, and died in a few minutes. The 
other extract was put upon the tongue of a premium 
dog, which uttered a yelp, leaped frantically, laid down 
and expired. 

PIPE, CIGAR AND CIGARETTE. 

Smoking tobacco is used in three ways, in the pipe, 
cigar and cigarette. Neither adds beauty to the face or 
is conducive to health. It is stated on good authority 
that Senator Colfax was stricken down in the Senate 
chamber as the result of excessive smoking and from 
that time smoked no more. It caused the death of Em- 
peror Frederick through cancer of the lip, killed Henry 
W. Raymond, of the New York Times, through heart 
failure, and struck President Orton and General Dakin 
down with paralysis of the heart. Rousseau says, "Ex- 
cessive smoking cut short the life of the poet Berat 
through nervous effect." It wielded its sceptre over 
Royer Collard who died in the dawn of a most brilliant 
career through his loved cigar. It produced cancer of 
the throat, which ended the life of President Grant and 
Robert Louis Stevenson. "Out of one hundred and 
twenty-seven cancers cut from the lips of persons in a 
short time," says the Medical Times, "nearly all were 
from the lips of smokers." What a dangerous luxuriant 
weed! How quaintly yet truthfully "Billy" Bray, the 
Cornish miner, said : "If God intended a man to smoke, 
He would have placed a chimney at the top of his head 
to let the smoke out !" 

Tobacco smoke is poisonous. It contains one of 



Be Free of the Weed 1 1 1 

the deadliest vapors known to man, which so frequently 
injures the throat. It has also a poisonous oil which 
secretes itself in the stem of the pipe. Dr. Brodie says 
that he applied two drops of this oil to the tongue of a 
cat, which killed it in fifteen minutes. Fontana made a 
small incision in the leg of a pigeon and paralyzed it 
by applying a drop of this oil. The reason for so many 
pale-faced, nervous men can be traced to this cause. 

But supposing that smoking a pipe is not injurious, is 
it not unbecoming a gentleman? Napoleon said, "It 
was only fit for sluggards." Gouverneur Morris, being 
asked if gentlemen smoked in France, replied, "Gen- 
tlemen, sir ! Gentlemen smoke nowhere !" Horace 
Mann when addressing the teachers of an Ohio school, 
said, "The practice is unfit a scholar or a gentleman." 

To smoke a cigar may be considered more refined 
than the use of a pipe. But whoever heard of refining 
a vice? Horace Greeley, when addressing a class of 
young men on the subject, said, "A cigar is a little roll of 
tobacco leaves with a fire at one end and a fool at the 
other." At which end should refinement begin? The 
cigar is more directly injurious than the pipe because 
the user inhales more of the smoke, sucks the weed, and 
a greater proportion of the poisonous substance is 
drawn into the mouth and filtered through the system, 
causing dyspepsia, vitiated taste, congestion of the brain, 
loss of memory, nervousness and many other diseases. 

THE CIGARETTE. 

The worst of all, however, is the cigarette. Some- 
time ago in New York, an Italian boy was brought be- 
fore a justice as a vagrant. He was charged with pick- 
ing up cigar stumps from, the streets and gutters. To 
prove this the policeman showed the boy's basket, half 
full of stumps, water-soaked and covered with mud. 
*'What do you do with these?" asked his honor. "I 



112 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

sell them to a man for ten cents a pound, to be used in 
making cigarettes." This is not all. In the analysis 
of cigarettes, physicians and chemists have been sur- 
prised to find opium, which is used to give a soothing 
effect, and creates a passion for strong drink. The 
wrapper warranted to be rice paper is manufactured 
from filthy scrapings of rag pickers, and is so cheap that 
a thousand cigarettes can be wrapped at a cost of two 
cents. By the use of this dangerous thing, thousands 
of boys have been mentally and morally ruined. A dis- 
tinguished French physician investigated the effect of 
cigarette-smoking in thirty-eight boys between the ages 
of nine and fifteen. Twenty-seven presented distinct 
symptoms of nicotine poisoning. Twenty-two had 
serious disorders and a marked appetite for strong 
drink. Three had heart affection. Eight had very im- 
pure blood. Twelve were subject to bleeding of the 
nose. Ten had disturbed sleep and four had ulceration 
of the mouth. 

Several years ago Representatives Cockran, Cum- 
mings and Stahlnecker, of New York, petitioned the 
Government to suppress cigarettes by imposing an in- 
ternal revenue tax upon them. During one year they 
cut clippings from the papers concerning one hundred 
young men, mostly imder sixteen, who died from the 
effects of these murderous things, while another hun- 
dred were consigned to insane asylums for the same 
cause.' Because of such harmful effects Germany has 
legislated against it. France, West Point and Annapolis 
have closed their doors to the boy that uses it and more 
than a score of States in the Union have prohibited their 
sale. 

WHY HE FAILED. 

A young man who had failed by only three points in 
an examination for admission to the marine corps ap- 
pealed to his representative in Congress for assistance. 



Be Free of the Weed 113 

and together they went to see the Secretary of the 
Navy, in the hope of securing what is known as a "re- 
rating" of his papers. ''How many more chances do 
you want ?" asked Secretary Long. ''This is your third 
time." And before the young man had a chance to an- 
swer, the Secretary continued, "How do you expect to 
get along in the world when you smoke so many cigar- 
ettes ? Your clothes are saturated with their odor. Pull 
off your gloves and let me see your fingers. There, see 
how yellow they are !" pointing to the sides of the first 
and second fingers. Before the young man found his 
tongue to offer an explanation the Secretary asked if he 
drank. "Only once in a while," was his sheepish reply. 
Mr. Long then invited the Congressman into his private 
office, and while oif ering to do everything that he could 
added, "I am sick of trying to make anything of these 
boys that are loaded with cigarette smoke and 'drink 
once in a while.' They are about hopeless, it seems to 
me." As they left the department building the young 
man, half apologizing for his poor showing, remarked, 
"Drinking, my father says, is the bane of the navy." 'T 
guess it is," replied the Congressman. "It is the bane 
everywhere else, and I should think quite likely it 
would be in the navy." 

My boy, let tobacco in any form alone. It is a dirty, 
dangerous, expensive habit. It costs this country six 
hundred and fifty million dollars annually. Worse than 
the cost, however, is the injury to body, mind and soul. 
Figures cannot enumerate nor scales estimate the evil it 
produces. A story is told of a giant who fell in with a 
company of pigmies. He roared with laughter at their 
insignificant stature and their magnificent pretensions. 
He ridiculed with fine scorn and sarcasm their high- 
sounding threats. When he fell asleep they bound him 
with innumerable threads and when he awoke he found 
himself a helpless captive. 



114 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

My boy, ridicule not the contents of this chapter. 
They are all important. Heed the warning cry and shun 
the weed. Many a fair lad has been stunted in develop- 
ment, lost to ambition, sunk to all appeals to honor 
when once in its grasp ; therefore let it alone. The God 
that made your mouth made the weed, but He did not 
make the mouth for the tobacco, nor the tobacco for the 
mouth. If addicted to it, I charge you stop right now. 

*'To do so, is to succeed — our fight 
Is waged in Heaven's approving sight — 
The smile of God is victory." 



CHAPTER X 
Be Persevering 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER X 
By Marshall Field 

A BOY should carefully consider his natural bent 
or inclination, be it business or profession. In 
other words, take stock of himself and ascer- 
tain, if possible, for what he is adapted, and en- 
deavor to get into that vocation with as few changes as 
possible. Having entered upon it, let him pursue the 
work in hand with diligence and determination to know 
it thoroughly, which can only be done by close and en- 
thusiastic application of the powers at his command; 
strive to master the details and put into it an energy di- 
rected by strong common sense so as to make his ser- 
vices of value wherever he is. Be alert, and ready to 
seize opportunities when they present themselves. The 
trouble with most young people is, that they do not 
learn anything thoroughly, and are apt to do the work 
committed to them in a careless manner ; forgetting that 
what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, they be- 
come mere drones, and rely upon chance to bring them 
success. There are others who want to do that for 
which they are not fitted, and thus waste their lives in 
what may be called misfit occupations. Far better be a 
good carpenter or mechanic of any kind than a poor 
business or professional man. 

ii6 



A 



CHAPTER X 

Be Persevering 

4 4 y^ LL things come to him who waits," is a pretty- 
sentiment, but practical appHcation hews the 
way. No great book was ever written at one 
sitting. Edward Gibbon was twenty years 
composing "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire," 
and Noah Webster was thirty-five years in producing 
the dictionary that bears his name. No great address 
was the result of a moment's inspiration. When Dr. 
Lyman Beecher was asked how long he was preparing 
a certain speech which had electrified his audience, he 
answered, ''Forty years." No great invention sprang 
from a dream. George Stephenson was fifteen years 
making improvements on his locomotive before he won 
the victory of Rainhill, and when asked by a company 
of young men how they might succeed, answered, "Do 
as I have done ; persevere." 

"Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt; 
Nothing's so hard but search will find it out." 

THE CHIEF FOREMAN. 

One of the great manufacturing firms in Glasgow, 
Scotland, owes its prosperity largely to a boy whom 
they engaged. The story runs that thirty years ago a 
barefoot, ragged boy presented himself at the desk of 
the chief partner and asked for work as an errand boy. 

117 



ii8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

''There's a deal of running to be done, and you will 
need a pair of shoes first," said Mr. Blank. The boy, 
with a grave nod, disappeared. He lived by doing odd 
jobs in the market and slept under the stalls. Two 
months passed before he had saved money enough to 
buy the shoes. He then presented himself to Mr. Blank 
and held out a package. 'T have the shoes, sir," he 
quietly said. '*Oh !" the proprietor remarked, "you 
want a place ? Not in those rags, my lad. You would 
disgrace the house." 

The boy hesitated a moment and then went out with- 
out a word. Six months passed before he returned, de- 
cently clothed in coarse but new garments. Mr. Blank's 
interest was aroused. For the first time he looked at the 
lad attentively. His thin, bloodless face showed that he 
had stinted himself of food in order to buy those clothes. 
On questioning him, the manufacturer found to his re- 
gret that he could not read or write. "It is necessary 
that you should do both before we could employ you in 
carrying home packages," he said. "We have no place 
for you." The lad's face grew paler, but without a word 
of complaint he left. He now found employment in a 
stable and went to night school. At the end of a year 
he again presented himself before Mr. Blank. "I can 
read and write," he joyfully said. "I gave him the 
place," the employer remarked, years after, "with the 
conviction that in process of time he would take mine, if 
he made up his mind to do it. Men rise slowly in 
Scotland, but to-day he is our chief foreman." How 
true as St. Paul says in Myer's poem: 

'*Let no man think that sudden in a minute 

All is accomplished and the work is done; 
Though with thine earliest dawn thou shouldst begin it 
Scarce were it ended in thy setting sun." 



Be Persevering 119 

WHAT IT MEANS. 

No word should be more prominent in any boy's vo- 
cabulary than perseverance. Industry is a good word, 
but one may be industrious, without being persevering, 
but he cannot be persevering without being industrious. 
Perseverance means persistence in any design, steadi- 
ness in pursuit, constancy in progress. It is the bend- 
ing, of all energies in one direction till the thing is ac- 
complished. Demosthenes was a stammerer. He 
would be an orator, and with pebbles in his mouth 
walked the seashore articulating, until when Philip 
threatened to invade Athens, he with matchless oratory 
so appealed to the Athenians that they cried, "Let us 
fight Philip." Fight they did, and Greece was saved. 
James Watt was poor and unlettered. He sees the lid 
of the kettle rise and fall by the power of steam, and 
from that day bends his mind and hand until in after 
years he creates a steam engine. Gutenberg beholds the 
coarse types of Lawrence Coster and declares he can do 
better. After much persecution by superstitious per- 
sons, he shuts himself up ii. a cell of St. Arbogast mon- 
astery and works early and late till he has carved lead 
type, made an ink roller and built a printing press. 
Marcus Morton wants to be Governor of Massachu- 
setts. Seventeen times he runs for the position and at 
last succeeds. Cyrus Field spends eleven years before 
he succeeds in designing and laying the Atlantic cable. 
Edison makes eighteen hundred experiments before he 
discovers the proper substance for the incandescent 
light, and six thousand before he solves the problem of 
preparing the products of the great iron mills for the 
blast furnace. The boy who expects to succeed may 
have to try many times and face many opposing forces, 
but as adverse winds aid the kite to fly, so difficulties 
are usually blessings in disguise. To climb Alpine 
peaks 'Svill put to proof the energies of him who would 
reach the summit." 



I20 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

PERSEVERANCE A NECESSITY. 

Nothing guarantees success like persistency ; it is more 
effective than brilliancy. The faculty of sticking and 
hanging on when everybody else lets go is one of the 
secrets of success. When Congress and the country 
were excited over President Johnson's effort to drive 
Mr. Stanton from the Cabinet because he opposed the 
President's policy in the South, Charles Sumner sent 
the Secretary this message, "Stanton stick." He did so 
to the benefit of the nation. The boy who expects to 
make his mark in the world must be a "sticker." Hf» 
must "keep everlastingly at it." With determination 
he must conquer opposition and annihilate obstacles. 
With Pitt he must trample on so-called impossibilities. 
"Impossible is not found in the dictionary of fools," said 
Napoleon, when told that the Alps stood in the way of 
his conquest. "Impossible," cried Chatham, when con- 
fined to his room with gout, "who talks to me of impos- 
sibilities?" Lord Anson had sent word that it was im- 
possible to fit out a naval expedition within a prescribed 
period. "Tell him that he serves under a minister who 
treads on impossibilities." When Daniel Webster was 
speaking at Bunker Hill, the crowd become so large and 
pressed so near to him that he shouted: "Keep back! 
Keep back !" "It is impossible," cried some one in the 
crowd. The orator looked at them a moment and then 
said, "Nothing is impossible at Bunker Hill." And few 
things are impossible to persevering lads. 

Tamerlane was once forced to take shelter from his 
enemies in a ruined building, where he sat discouraged 
for hours. His attention was at last attaracted by an 
ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself 
up a high wall. Sixty-nine times did the grain fall, but 
the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached 
the top. That sight instilled courage in the bosom of 
Tamerlane. Robert Bruce, of Scotland, had a similar 



Be Persevering 121 

experience. On one occasion he was so harassed by the 
English that he was compelled to take shelter in a barn 
over night. In the morning he saw a spider climbing a 
beam of the roof. Twelve times in succession did it 
fall but the thirteenth time it succeeded in gaining the 
top. The object lesson impressed Bruce. Rising, he 
said: "This spider has taught me perseverance. I will 
follow its example. Twelve times I have been beaten, 
and the thirteenth time I may succeed." He rallied his 
forces, met and defeated Edward and was crowned 
king. 

Christopher Columbus conceived the idea that undis- 
covered continents existed west of the Atlantic, and he 
determined to test the truth of his theory. He had 
many difficulties to contend with, such as poverty and 
repeated discouragements. The Court of Portugal dis- 
appointed him, his native city of Genoa would not ren- 
der him aid, and the city of Venice refused him. At 
last he laid his cause before Ferdinand and Isabella, 
King and Queen of Spain, and he was about to give 
up and repair to France, when the Queen sold her jew- 
els to defray the expenses of the expedition. Thus as- 
sisted, he turned his ships westward and started. On 
board his vessel he had ignorance, superstition and mu- 
tiny to contend with, and this continued until the cry 
of "Land ! Land !" came from the lookout at the top of 
the mast; then a new world and a glorious triumph 
crowned his efforts. 

PERSEVERANCE IS REWARDED IF PATIENTLY PURSUED. 

Great results are not accomplished in a moment. 
Sowing precedes reaping. The wheat must first be 
sifted and crushed in the mill before it is baked into 
bread. The railroad that runs from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific coast is but numerous steel rails placed one be- 
fore the other. The President in the White House, the 



122 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

general in the army, the judge on the bench, the orator 
on the platform reached their positions, not by a hop- 
skip-and-jump manner, but by perpetual pushing and 
concentration of their energies in one direction. There 
might have been times when these were side-tracked 
and their procedure necessarily slow, but as soon as the 
main track was clear, or as soon as they had cleared it, 
they went forth with undaunted persistence realizing 
as the Italian proverb reads: "Who goes slowly goes 
long, and goes far," and contentment was not theirs till 
the goal was reached. To such of like determination, 
in Richelieu's words : 

''Fail! Fail! 
In the lexicon of youth, which Fate reserves 
For a bright manhood, there is no such word as fail!" 

True, many persevering persons fail as men call fail- 
ure, but it is only like the tiger's crouch before a high 
leap. Discovering the bounds through a sense of such, 
life thenceforth turns all its capacities into right and 
effective uses. *'To change and to change for the bet- 
ter, are two different things," says an old German pro- 
verb. Pestalozzi, the great educator, made several fail- 
ures in early life, which he made stepping-stones to 
success. Washington's military career was a series of 
failures. He shared in Braddock's defeat at Fort Du- 
quesne. He was beaten at Long Island, driven from 
New York and forced to retreat through New Jersey 
and across the Delaware, when he suddenly turned like 
a lion at bay, recrossed the icy stream and overwhelmed 
the Hessians at Trenton. This rapid movement and 
his attack at Germantown first led observers like Fred- 
erick the Great to recognize his military genius. Peter 
Cooper failed in making hats, failed as a cabinet maker, 
locomotive builder and grocer, but as often as he failed 
he tried and tried again until he could stand upon his 



Be Persevering 123 

feet alone, then crowned his victory by giving a mil- 
lion dollars to help poor boys in time to come. Horace 
Greeley tried three or four lines of business before he 
founded the Tribune, and made it worth a million dol- 
lars. Patrick Henry failed as merchant and farmer, but 
resorting to law and politics was a brilliant success. 
Stephen A. Douglas made dinner tables, bedsteads 
and bureaus many a long year before he made himself a 
"giant" on the floor of Congress. Abraham Lincoln 
failed to make both ends meet by chopping wood, failed 
to earn his salt in the galley-slave life of a Mississippi 
flat-boatman; he had not even wit enough to run a 
grocery, and yet he made himself the grandest character 
of the nineteenth century, an emancipator of four mil- 
lion slaves. General Grant failed at everything. At the 
age of thirty-nine he was obscure, at forty-three his pic- 
ture hung in the homes of the grateful millions. He 
first learned to tan hides, but could not sell leather 
enough to buy a pair of breeches, then teamed for forty 
dollars a month, then entered his father's store at Ga- 
lena, Illinois, as clerk, and to use his own words "nor 
had I any capacity to become one." Then he enlisted 
as a soldier, was the hero of Appomattox, and eventu- 
ally reached the highest position of honor this country 
can give — the Presidency. When Daniel Webster was 
told that his profession of law was overcrowded and 
that the chances were against him, he replied, "Over- 
crowded? There is always room at the top." The con- 
dition of affairs is still the same. No reason can be pro- 
duced why a persevering lad cannot make his way in the 
world to-day as in any other day, for as the philosopher 
Young declared, "Any man can do what any other man 
has done." 



124 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"There is always a way to rise, my boy. 

Always a way to advance! 
Yet the road that leads to Mount Success 

Does not pass by the way of Chance, 
But goes through stations of Work and Strive, 

Through the valley of Persevere, 
And the man that succeeds, while others fail. 

Must be willing to pay most dear. 

"For there's always a way to fail, my boy, 

Always a way to slide. 
And the men that you find at the foot of the hill 

All sought for an easy ride. 
So on and up, though the road be rough 

And the storms come thick and fast. 
There is room at the top for the man who tries, 

And victory comes at last." 

BEGIN NOW. 

My boy, be persevering. Form good resolutions. 
They mean success, triumph, victory. "He who re- 
solves upon doing a thing, by that very resolution scales 
the barriers to it, and secures its achievement. To de- 
termine upon attainment is often attainment itself." 
Aim high and pursue the path accordingly. Let others 
be indolent and indifferent, but press toward the goal of 
your ambition. As Mr. Dickens' friend would have us 
understand, "It's dogged does it." "Eustace," said Wil- 
liam Carey, the founder of modern missions, to his wife, 
"if they write my life, and say I am a genius, they will 
say falsely ; but if they say I can plod, they will tell the 
truth. Yes, Eustace, I can plod." "Yes, sir," said 
Whitcomb Riley to one who was nearly heartbroken, be- 
cause his manuscripts were constantly returned, 
"through years, through sleepless nights, through al- 
most hopeless days, for twenty years I tried to get into 



Be Persevering 125 

one magazine ; back came my manuscripts eternally. I 
kept on. In the twentieth year that magazine accepted 
one of my articles. I was not a believer in the theory 
that one man does a thing much easier than any other 
man. Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and 
determination will win. Let not the man be discour- 
aged who has these." "Peg away, keep pegging away," 
was Lincoln's reply to one who wanted to know what he 
intended to do concerning the cessation of the Civil 
War. Plan carefully and begin planning now. When 
Alexander was asked how he had been able to conquer 
the world, he said, ''By not delaying." Sir Robert Peel 
became a great orator and statesman by practising when 
a boy before his father, repeating to the best of his abil- 
ity any address he heard. Kepler solved the laws of the 
planetary system, and exposed the absurd notions of the 
Ptolemic theory of axles and cranks by which the plan- 
ets were strung together; but it took him seventeen 
years from the time he began until he met success, and 
then he exclaimed in his enthusiasm: "Nothing holds 
me ! The die is cast ! The book is written to be read 
now or by posterity, I care not which. It may well wait 
a century for a reader, since God has waited six thou- 
sand years for an observer." 

To be wavering and dilatory is to close opportunity's 
gate and not infrequently make life unsuccessful. A 
young man, the son of an old friend of Mr. Vander- 
bilt, once solicited his influence in aiding him to secure 
a certain very desirable clerkship in a railroad office. 
Mr. Vanderbilt, who liked the young man and believed 
in his ability, agreed to help him. "Be here to-morrow 
morning at ten o'clock," he said, "and I will go with you 
to see the president of the road and say a good word for 
you." The next morning at twenty minutes after ten 
the young man appeared in the anteroom of Mr. Van- 
derbilt's office. He was informed that Mr. Vanderbilt 



126 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

had left fifteen minutes before to attend a meeting. A 
few days later he called on Mr. Vanderbilt, and said, 
with a shade of annoyance in his tone: ''Why, Mr. 
Vanderbilt, I was here just after ten." "But the ap- 
pointment was ten," replied Mr. Vanderbilt. "It was 
only a matter of fifteen or twenty minutes," said the 
young man. "Well," answered Mr. Vanderbilt, "the 
twenty minutes in your case have lost you the position, 
for the appointment was made the very day on which 
you were to have met me. Furthermore, let me tell you, 
you had no right to assume that twenty minutes of my 
time was of so little value that I could afiford to wait 
for you. Why, sir, I managed to keep two other ap- 
pointments of importance within that time." 

Be prompt. Keep in mind the words Edmond Burke 
wrote on a tablet for the Marquis of Rockingham, "Re- 
member-Resemble-Persevere." Judson when complet- 
ing the translation of the Bible into the Burmese lan- 
guage said, "Thanks be to God, I can now say I have at- 
tained." Arago, the great French astronomer, tells 
how he became so discouraged in the study of mathe- 
matics that he almost resolved to abandon his efforts. 
He was just about ready to give up when he happened 
to notice something printed or written under the paper 
binding of his book. He unfolded the leaf, and found 
it was a letter from D'Alembert, which read, "Go on, 
sir ; go on ! The difficulties you meet will resolve them- 
selves as you advance. Persevere, and the light will 
dawn and shine with increasing clearness upon your 
path." This striking passage made an impression upon 
the young mathematician's mind which he never forgot. 
It was a perpetual spur to his ambition, and came to him 
just in the nick of time. He resolved then and there 
that he would surmount every difficulty; that he would 
become a great mathematician and ere long Fame 
crowned him as one of the greatest astronomers of his 



Be Persevering 127 

time. Go on, my boy! There's not a profession or 
business but 

— ^ Wants a lad who has no fear 

Of steady, plodding work; 
Who does not wait for luck or fate 

Who scorns a task to shirk. 

Who slowly, surely, digs his way 
Through problems hard a score, 

And still has grit and courage left 
To try as many more. 

Who does not wait for help to come 

From fairy, witch or elf, 
But laying hold on Fortune's wheel 

Turns it around himself. 

Who knows that luck is hut a myth 

And faith is hut a name; 
That Plod and Push and Perseverance 

At last will win the gam£," 



TRIPLET MAXIMS. 

Three things to do — think, hve, act. 

Three things to govern — temper, tongue, and con- 
duct. 

Three things to cherish — virtue, goodness and honor. 

Three things to hate — cruelty, arrogance and ingrati- 
tude. 

Three things to Hke — cordiaHty, goodness and cheer- 
fulness. 

Three things to delight in — beauty, frankness and 
freedom. 

Three things to avoid — idleness, loquacity and jest- 
ing. 

Three things to cultivate — good looks, good friends 
and good humor. 

Three things to shun — Satan, sin and selfishness. 



128 



PART II 

Relation to Others 



CHAPTER XI 
Be Dutiful 



• INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XI 

By T. T. Geer 

Happy the hoy, and happy he alone, 

He, who can call to-day his own ; 

He who, secure within, can say 

To-morrow do thy worst, for I have lived to-day. 

— Dryden. 

DISOBEDIENCE to parents is one of the fruit- 
ful sources from which our Reform Schools 
are filled, and, afterward, as a result of which, 
many young men drift into our penitentiaries. 
We often find fault with our lawmakers, and sometimes 
justly, but it is a comforting thought, that if all our 
laws, bad as some of them may be, were obeyed at all 
times by everybody, there would be no inmates of our 
Reform Schools or Penitentiaries, provided there should 
be no violation of parental authority, as well. 

Obedience to law, parental and governmental, would 
bring absolute happiness to our homes and hearts as 
nearly as such a condition is possible with our earthly 
surroundings. Let the boys remember this at all times, 
and build on this foundation early in life a structure 
that will always prove a valuable and invaluable invest- 
ment. 



I/; L/ 




132 



CHAPTER XI 
Be Dutiful 

IN this second portion of our subject, we find that re- 
lationship broadens. Instead of deaUng only with 
ourselves, we deal with others. Man is a social 
being, but is only worthy of that name as he seeks 
to make society happier and better by his presence. 
Each day every boy is compelled to choose between two 
courses of conduct, duty and disobedience. The one, 
however great the cost, is accompanied by a sense of 
right; the other, which demands no effort, by anguish 
and peril. No boy need hesitate to be dutiful. Con- 
science dictates, reason approves, and though the tri- 
umphs of genius might be more dazzling, the chances of 
good fortune more exciting, yet he who heeds the coun- 
sel will profit thereby, daring nobly, willing strongly 
and succeeding admirably. 

TRUE TO THE LAST. 

In the Museo Brobonico, at Naples, are seen the hel- 
met, lance and breastplate which were used by a pagan 
sentinel at Pompeii. It is thought that the soldier who 
used them was on duty when Mount Vesuvius began to 
rain burning lava upon the city. While others fled, he 
stood by his post. Of Wellington it was said: "He 
never boasted of a higher motive and perhaps never 
thought of one, than duty." Admiral Nelson while 
standing on the deck of his vessel received a mort?.I 
wound, and on being afterward assured that the con- 
quest was theirs, exclaimed : "Thank God, I have done 
my duty," and died. When Frederick the Great was 

133 



134 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

about to engage in the great battle of Lutzen he ordered 
all his officers to a conference at which he said: ^'To- 
morrow I intend giving the enemy battle, and the bat- 
tle shall decide who are hereafter to be masters of Si- 
lesia. I expect every one to do his duty. Now, if any 
of you are cowards, step forward before you make 
others cowardly, and you shall immediately receive your 
discharge without ceremony or reproach." As none 
stepped forward he said: "I see there is none among 
you who does not possess true heroism, and who will not 
display it in defence of the king, the country and him- 
self. I will be in the front and rear, and will fly from 
wing to wing ; no company of my soldiers shall escape 
my notice, and whomsoever I find doing his duty, upon 
him will I heap honor and favor." 

WHAT DUTY IMPLIES. 

"Duty" may be defined as the thing that can be done, 
because it is the thing that ought to be done. To be 
dutiful implies a respect and reverence for others who 
are placed in authority in whatever capacity, parental, 
official or governmental. "It is," said Gladstone, "co- 
extensive with the action of our intelligence. It is the 
shadow which cleaves to us, go where we will, and 
which only leaves us when we leave the light of life." 
Fortunate the boy who is not an orphan, and blessed 
is he who knows how to appreciate his parents. If 
God has been kind to spare father and mother, every 
boy should be good enough to respect them. Nothing 
is more unbecoming than forward or contemptuous 
conduct toward them. The great proverb writer, thou- 
sands of years ago, said : "The eye that mocketh at his 
father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the raven of 
the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall 
eat it." That is, he shall come to an untimely end. 
The boy who heeds parental counsel shall be included 



Be Dutiful 135 

in the promise of the first commandment : "Honor thy 
father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon 
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 

WHY A BOY SHOULD OBEY HIS PARENTS. 

A boy should obey his parents because God com- 
mands it. It is a law written in our natures as well as 
in the Bible. General Hancock once hastily rose from 
his table and exclaimed, ''I left my boy on London 
Bridge, and told him to wait there till I came back." 
He hastened to the spot, and there the brave boy was, 
and had been for several hours ! Such obedience was 
the groundwork of a noble character. 

Obedience to parents is an evidence of Christian 
piety, it ought to be prompt, cheerful and without pro- 
test. Such gives great pleasure to them, and no less to 
the boy. When Epamimondas, one of the greatest gener- 
als of Greece, conquered Sparta and delivered his own 
country he was greatly applauded. "My joy," said he, 
"arises from my sense of that which the news of my 
victory will give my father and mother." Disobedience 
produces the keenest suffering in them, which sooner 
or later reacts on the boy. "A wise son heareth his 
father's instruction ; but a scorner heareth not rebuke." 
"A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to 
his mother." Samuel Johnson was a disobedient lad. 
His parents were poor and he had difficulties sometimes 
which seemed almost insurmountable, till he passed his 
fifteenth year. His father was a bookseller in Litch- 
field, England. On market-days he used to carry a 
package of books to the village of Uttoxeter, and sell 
them from a stall in the market-place. One day he was 
sick and Samuel was asked to go in his place. From 
a silly pride he refused to comply. Fifty years after this 
boy became the celebrated author and compiler of the 
English Dictionary, and one of the most distinguished 



136 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

scholars in England, but he never forgot his unkindness 
to his hard-toiling father. When he visited Uttoxeter 
he determined to show his sorrov^ and repentance. 
Going into the market-place at the time of business, he 
uncovered his head and stood there for an hour in a 
pouring rain, on the very spot where the book-stall 
used to stand. 'This," said he, "was an act of contri- 
tion for my disobedience to my kind father." 

A boy should obey his parents because God's law con- 
tains a reason : **That thy days may be long upon the 
land." Obedience is here shown to be conducive to 
long life and prosperity. By it the boy learns self-con- 
trol, and a prompt submission as a principle of action. 
''Such a boy in all probability will soon become a man 
of like character. He will obey the laws of health. En- 
tering business, he will obey the laws of success, in- 
dustry, perseverance, economy and enterprise. His 
powers under full control, he also will be a law-abiding 
citizen in society. Such character tends to long life 
and the enjoyment of the gift of God." 

OBEDIENT SONS. 

When Washington was a young man he wanted to 
be a sailor, and his mother gave a reluctant consent. All 
things were ready. The ship lay off in the river. His 
trunk was in the boat which waited to take him to it. 
Going to bid his mother good-bye he found her in tears. 
At once he ordered his trunk returned and sent word 
to the ship that he would not go. "I will not break my 
mother's heart to gratify myself," he said, and his 
mother replied, "George, God has promised to bless 
those who honor their parents and He will surely bless 
you." Did He not do it ? He lived to be nearly seventy 
years of age and became not only a prosperous man, 
but the first President of his country. "I was sure," said 
his mother, "that George would be a great man, be- 
cause he was a good boy." 



Be Dutiful 137 

Coming home from the hay-field, a tired and hungry 
youth was met by his father at the gate and requested 
to go on an errand to the town, two miles away. His 
first impulse was to refuse. A better thought came into 
his mind, and he consented cheerfully. "Thank you," 
said the father ; "you have always been good to me. I 
was going myself, but somehow I don't feel very 
strong." Again the father thanked his son and turned 
to the house. The son hurried away, and soon returned. 
As he neared the house he saw that something unusual 
had occurred. The farm-hands instead of being at the 
barn as usual at that time of the day were standing 
about the door of the house. As the son approached, 
one of the men turned to him with tearful eyes and said, 
"Your father is dead. He fell just as he reached the 
door. The words he spoke to you were the last he ut- 
tered." Years passed, and that son relating this inci- 
dent said, "I have thanked God over and over again for 
the last words of my father on earth, 'You have always 
teen good to me.' " 

A boy should obey his parents because of the happi- 
ness and influence that come through it. A disobedient 
boy can in no wise be happy, while he who loves his 
parents and seeks their pleasure will have no reason to 
the contrary. 

In St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia, one Sunday a 
tramp was numbered among the worshippers. His face 
was seamed by the lines caused by dissipation. His 
shabby clothes were in striking contrast with the hand- 
some attire of those in the audience. When Dr. Wood, 
the blind organist, touched the keys of his instrument, 
and began to play a soft, sweet melody, the man's eyes 
filled with tears and he buried his face in his hands. 
During the singing of the Litany he sobbed aloud, but 
when Dr. McConnell in reading the commandments 
■came to "Honor thy father and thy mother," the man, 



138 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

unable to restrain himself longer, cried, ''Would to God 
I had done so, I would not be where I am." 

When Charles Lamb was a lad his father sent him to 
the school of Christ's Hospital. He was very unfitted to 
make his way among the boys, for he was small and 
delicate. There was a great dislike throughout the 
school against certain articles of food ; Charles was 
seen to gather up the morsels left after dinner and carry 
them away. Persevering in this practice two of his 
school fellows determined to follow him and find out the 
mystery. Charles entered a large old building in Chan- 
cery Lane, went upstairs and knocked at one of the 
doors at which an old man and woman presented them- 
selves. The boys went back and triumphantly told the 
steward what they had discovered. He, being a just 
man, investigated the matter and found that the old peo- 
ple were Charles' parents, who had been reduced to 
great need. The news went from one to another. His 
fellow pupils immediately fell in love with him, the 
governor heard of it, and gave relief to the parents, and 
presented the boy with a silver medal. 

DID WHAT NAPOLEON COULD NOT DO. 

In this connection a few words are not amiss regard- 
ing one's duty to those in authority. Honor is becom- 
ing those who are set over us at school or work. The 
spirit of obedience is not so much in words as deeds. 
Deeds show what we are, words what we claim to be. 

On one occasion an English farmer saw a party of 
horsemen riding over his farm. He had a field he was 
particularly anxious they should not enter as the crop 
was in condition to be greatly injured by the tramp of 
horses. He therefore dispatched one of the young 
farm hands, a lad of about thirteen years of age, to 
shut the gate and on no account permit anyone to open 
it. The boy went as bidden, but was scarcely at his 



Be Dutiful 139 

post when the hunters came up and ordered the gate 
opened. This the boy decHned to do, stating the or- 
ders he had received and his determination to obey them. 
Neither threats nor bribes would move him. After a 
while one of lofty dignity advanced and said in com- 
manding tones, "My boy, do you not know me? I am 
the Duke of Wellington. I am not accustomed to be 
disobeyed, and I command you to open the gate that my 
friends and I may pass through." The boy lifted his 
cap and stood uncovered before the man whom all Eng- 
land delighted to honor, and in firm tone said, "I am 
sure the Duke of Wellington would not wish me to 
disobey the orders of my master, who has told me to 
keep this gate shut, and not suffer anyone to pass." 

Greatly surprised and pleased at this reply, the sturdy 
old warrior lifted his own hat and said, *T honor the 
man or boy who is faithful to his duty, and who can 
neither be bribed or frightened into doing wrong. With 
an army of soldiers as trustworthy as that, I could con- 
quer not only the French but the world." Then hand- 
ing him a glittering sovereign, the old Duke put spurs 
to his horse and galloped away with his companions, 
while the boy ran off to his master shouting at the top 
of his voice : "Hurrah ! hurrah ! I've done what Na- 
poleon could not do. I've kept back the Duke of Well- 
ington !" 

DUTIFUL TO ALL. 

Society can only exist under certain regulations which 
pure-minded and noble legislators have enacted, and 
which everyone pronounces right. It therefore devolves 
upon every boy to do his part in sustaining these laws 
and to have a care for those who may have no tie bind- 
ing them to us except the common tie of humanity. His 
motto should be, "Do unto others as ye would that they 
should do unto you," desiring in life and asking in 



140 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

death no epitaph greater than that of the Earl of 
Shaftesbury, who, being presented with a donkey by the 
coster-mongers of London said, ''I ask nothing beyond 
this, that with patience as great and a resignation as un- 
murmuring as that of this donkey I may do my duty.'* 

What a phrase ! '*My duty." Not my brother's duty, 
or my chum's, but my duty. My duty to God, to par- 
ents, to others and to myself. When once the son of the 
Czar of Russia was visiting America some years ago as 
a subordinate officer of the ships of the Russian fleet, a 
citizen of Philadelphia, who was entertaining the ad- 
miral in command, asked him as to the position of the 
Grand Duke on board. "How is he addressed?" was 
asked. "Always as 'Lieutenant,' " was the reply. "Does 
he do regular duty as an officer, on watch in his turn ?" 
"Certainly. There is only one difference between him 
and the other officers. He is always more faithful to 
duty than anyone else." 

What a tribute ! What was said of this royal son, may 
be said of every boy. "Let us be found doing our duty, 
if this be the day of judgment," said Colonel Davenport 
in the legislative council of 1780 at Hartford. An 
eclipse of the sun so darkened the room and surround- 
ing country that many thought it was the day of God's 
wrath. Live such a life that no matter when the judg- 
ment comes, you may be found doing your duty, thus 
meriting the eulogy conferred upon Colonel Hutchin- 
son: "He never professed the thing he intended not, 
nor promised that he believed out of his power, nor 
failed in the performance of anything that was in his 
power to fulfill." In all circumstances of life and deal- 
ings with others 

"Do noble things, not dream them all day long, 
And so make life, death, and that vast forever, 
One grand sweet song.'' 



CHAPTER XII 
Be Honest 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XII 
By Francis E. Warren 

To be honest, as this world goes. 

Is to be one picked out of ten thousand. 

Shakespeare. 

All other knowledge is hurtful to him who has not honesty 
and good nature. — Montaigne. 

THE best that a boy or man can do is to be hon- 
est. He will find honesty profitable ; not only will 
it pay in a material way, but it will bring satis- 
faction with self, and will command the esteem 
and admiration of all with whom he comes in contact. 
Without honesty of purpose and act, there can be no 
substantial or lasting success either in business or any 
other undertaking in life. Be honest, in order that you 
may be successful and content, as well. 



^^^^^<^icA 




142 



H 



CHAPTER XII 

Be Honest 

4 4 y y ONESTY is the best policy" cannot be ex- 
celled as a moral maxim. As an aphorism 
it cannot be revoked. He who heeds it will 
avoid wrong, but he who disregards it will 
cease to do right. The word is sometimes used in a legal 
sense as that which is determined and enforced by law, 
sometimes in a worldly way as that which looks to pub- 
lic opinion as its motive and end, but Webster defines it 
"to be upright, just, fair in dealing with others, free 
from trickishness and fraud ; acting and having the 
disposition to act at all times according to justice or cor- 
rect moral principles." That boy who adheres to 
these, is, as Pope declared, "The noblest work of God." 
That there are tricks in all trades is an acknowledged 
fact, and when resorted to to secure advantage over an- 
other, it is nothing less than theft, which is fraught 
with peril and liable to bitter remorse. 

^^A little theft, a small deceit. 

Too often leads to more; 
'Tis hard at first, hut tempts the feet 

As through an open door. 
Just as the broadest river runs 

From small and distant springs, 
The greatest crimes that men have done 

Have grown from little things." 

143 



144 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

DISHONESTY AND ITS RESULT. 

At a general election in England, a candidate per- 
sonally unknown to the voters of a certain borough 
was asked by party leaders to do his best for election. 
He belonged to a good family and was a lawyer of 
promise in London. His path to success was open, as 
the borough belonged to his party. When he mounted 
the platform to address the electors, his eyes fell upon 
a board opposite, on which was scrawled with char- 
coal : 'Torty Pounds !" He suddenly became pale and 
confused, stumbled through a short speech, and then 
hurriedly left the stand. 

A few days later he rose to speak in another town, 
and again the mysterious words written on the wall 
confronted him. Again he left the platform, and that 
night retired from the contest for the seat in Parlia- 
ment. Not long after he disappeared from public life, 
and retired to an English colony where he hid himself 
on a ranch. It was found that the words referred to 
a theft committed in his youth, which he supposed had 
been forgotten, but which had clung to him all these 
years. Lapse of time had not concealed it, and when 
on the verge of victory, defeat through someone's re- 
minder and a gnawing conscience pushed him from the 
race. 

EXAMPLES OF HONESTY. 

Honesty is a trait of character which sets a boy of¥ to 
advantage. He has no dark shadows or corroding 
memories to fear. The idea that some boys have, 
''Make money, honestly if you can, but if not, make 
it anyway," is wrong. Madison C. Peters says, "Capi- 
tal is not what a man has, but what a man is." He 
who is honest will not take a pin from another, would 
not represent an article to be what it is not, gives the 



Be Honest 145 

equivalent for the price paid whether seen or unseen. 
The boy when exhorted to steal some fruit as no one 
would see him, had the right idea of honesty when he 
remarked: "Yes, there would, for I should see my- 
self, and I don't intend ever to see myself do a dis- 
honest thing." 

Abraham Lincoln, when a clerk in a grocery store,, 
made a mistake of a few ounces when selling tea to a 
little girl. In the evening he walked between two and 
three miles to rectify the mistake. When the State 
officials of Illinois advocated the policy of repudiation 
of a part of the public debt, Stephen A. Douglass was 
carried on a mattress from his hotel to the meeting 
where the repudiation was about to be adopted. He 
wrote a resolution which he offered as a substitute for 
the repudiation ordinance, which carried : ''Resolved, 
That Illinois will be honest, although she never pays a 
cent." Adam Clark when a boy worked in a linen 
factory. In company with his master he was working 
in the folding room., when one of the pieces was found 
short of the required number of yards. "Come," said 
the merchant, "it is but a trifle. We can soon stretch 
it and make out the yard." He thereupon unrolled the 
cloth, taking hold of one end of it himself, and the boy 
the other. "Pull, Adam, pull," he said, pulling with all 
his might, but the boy stood still. The master said : 
"Pull, Adam." "I can't," replied the boy. "Why not ?" 
asked the master. "Because it is wrong." A long ar- 
gument followed, in which the usages of the trade were 
strongly and variously enforced, but all in vain. Upon 
this the master told him that such a boy would not do 
for a linen manufacturer, and would better look out 
for some other employment more congenial to his own 
mind. He did so, and in after years, through hard 
work, became eminent as a writer and preacher. 
10 



146 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

HOW HE BECAME A MILLIONAIRE. 

Years ago, in a town of Germany, a poor boy lived in 
an old house. He formed this resolution: "Honesty 
in everything and with everybody." The street in 
which he lived was in the middle of the city, yet quiet 
and retired. This boy was eager to make money ; but, 
dearly as he loved it, he loved honesty and integrity 
more. When he reached manhood, he married a young 
woman of sterling character. She was beautiful and 
good. Their house was neat and their furniture sim- 
ple. In one of the closets was a set of old Dresden 
china. Behind the china closet there was another, 
which no one would ever have suspected being there. 
To get to it the china had to be lifted out and the tight- 
fitting panels taken apart. 

One night, as they were about to retire, a faint knock 
was heard at the door. The young man opened it, and 
who should be there but the prince. He was invited 
to enter. After the young man had stirred up the fire 
and made things pretty comfortable, the prince told 
his errand. He was about to leave his home in the 
city, to go he did not exactly know where. He did not 
care to have any person know his whereabouts. The 
officers of the government were angry with him, and 
he was about to leave to get out of their way. But he 
had some valuable treasures which he did not wish to 
carry with him ; and, having heard of the integrity of 
this young man, he desired to leave them in his care, 
offering to pay him for his trouble. The young man 
declared himself pleased to accommodate his prince. 
'T have it here," said the prince, and he drew a wide 
girdle from under his vest. It was double, and was 
held together by springs which could not be seen. It 
was lined with soft wool, and in the wool lay the treas- 
ure, a collection of the most precious and dazzling 
stones. The young man closed the window shutter 



Be Honest 147 

tight, then with his wife took down the china from the 
closet, slipped aside the closely-fitting panels and se- 
creted the girdle in a little place under one of the 
shelves. Then the panels were carefully put back, the 
china put in its place and the closet doors shut. To 
look at it, one would never have dreamt that there was 
any treasure there more than the old china. The prince 
thanked his new friends, shook their hands heartily and 
started off. 

Months and years passed. The couple worked early 
and late. Indeed they had to, as by this time their 
family had increased and their little sons would some 
day need education. After a time the French made 
war on the Germans. Frankfort, the city of this fam- 
ily, felt it sadly. A great many people had to flee for 
their lives, amongst whom were these honest folks. 
The soldiers went into their house, searched and car- 
ried off everything that was worth taking. Then the 
war closed, and the people returned. Years after this 
the prince came back. He had heard as a wanderer 
about the different countries how many of the poor of 
his city had suffered. He quietly settled down in a 
country home, not far from the city, and never thought 
of going after his treasures, supposing they had either 
been stolen in the ransacking of the house, or that the 
young man in whose care he had left them had used 
them for his own wants or those of his family. He was 
not thoroughly acquainted however with the character 
of him to whom, he had committed his treasures. One 
morning while he was at breakfast he was told that a 
person wished to see him on business. The man was 
ordered to be conducted to his presence. Who should 
it be but his old friend? The prince was as glad to see 
him as he was surprised. 'T came," said the man, "to 
talk with you about the treasure you left me." *'Oh, 
don't mind that at all," interrupted the prince, ''but 



148 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

come and take some breakfast with me. I pray, don't 
mention the affair. I am glad it was there to do you 
good at a time when you must have needed it so much. 
Sit down and let us drink this coffee and forget all 
about it." 

The man took the chair which was offered him, and 
as he sat down, he said: ''Believe me, Prince, your 
treasure is safe. The robbers went again and again to 
the old china closet, and took every dish and cup away, 
and, indeed, almost everything else that belonged to 
us, but, thanks to God, they did not find your treasure. 
When we went back to our house we found it in exactly 
the same spot where you saw us place it, and there it is 
now. It only awaits your order to be restored to you 
as you gave it." The prince was astonished, and said, 
"Really, my friend, I scarcely believed that such virtue 
was to be found anywhere. But I see now that a man's 
integrity may stand the hardest trial. You have taught 
me to have a better opinion of human nature." 

A few days later the prince called at the house and 
received his girdle without a stone missing. So de- 
lighted was he that not only did he reward him liber- 
ally, but everywhere he went he told the story. He did 
not think that all the presents he could give him would 
reward him sufficiently, so he wished to make him fa- 
mous. He succeeded. The world heard the tale, and 
the humble man soon became the friend of princes and 
nobles. His sons were educated in the same principles 
of honesty and integrity, and the whole commercial 
world learnt to honor his name. At this day the fami- 
lies are scattered about in the greatest cities of Europe 
and are able to control the wealth of nations. Their 
possessions are immense. That poor boy was no other 
than Rothschild, and his sons and grandsons have been 
and still are the world's greatest bankers. 



Be Honest 149 

BE EMINENT IN HONESTY. 

My boy, be honest. Nothing is safer, more honor- 
able or right. As such it is better than might and 
worth more than gold. It hurts no man, but wields an 
influence that commands the admiration of man and 
God. 

When Longfellow was seventeen years of age he 
wrote to his father: "Whether nature has given me 
any capacity for knowledge or not, she has, at any rate, 
given me a very strong predilection for literary pur- 
suits, and I am almost confident in believing that, if I 
can ever rise in the world, it must be by the exercise of 
my talent in the field of literature. Whatever I study 
ought to be engaged in with my soul, for / will he emi- 
nent in something." 

It is possible, practical, yea, absolutely necessary 
for any boy who would be eminent in any vocation to be 
first of all eminent in honesty or purpose in dealing 
with himself and others. Lowell was built on the Mer- 
rimac river. Dams and canals were constructed to 
conserve the water power. At that time there was no 
competent engineer in America, so a young English- 
man by the name of Francis was brought over. After 
looking over the work done, he went to the directors of 
the company and said, "Gentlemen, you must rebuild 
Lowell and the works." "We can't do that," was the 
ansv/er, "we have spent large sums and must take a 
risk." "Then, gentlemen," said Francis, "here is my 
resignation." The directors after thinking of the awful 
flood that had swept that valley years before, reconsid- 
ered and rebuilt under the young man's direction. One 
year later a flood came and the town and works stood 
the test. Honesty always does. 



CHAPTER XIII 
Be Just 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XIII 

By a. S. Zook 

i C jP) E just," is a mandate from the Court of Con- 

|j science. The law of that forum is the 

"Golden Rule:" "All things whatsoever 

ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so 

unto them." 

If you would be just, never change the venue of 
your cases from the forum of your conscience, even 
though you might, outside the vicinage of conscience, 
be the winner every time. Venue changes from one 
civil forum to another, often brand the taker as a cow- 
ard. Frequently it happens in the business world and 
in social trials, if one shies around the court of con- 
science in selecting his tribunal, he may win a verdict 
that will bear no scrutiny thereafter in the Court of 
Error, Supreme on High ! 

Be just to self, unmarred by vice; just to parents as 
admonished by the words : "Honor thy father and thy 
mother;" just to brother and sister, and thus respect 
the home that sent you forth. The animals that serve 
us nobly should be treated justly. Shame and indig- 
nation rest upon the one who harshly treats the noble 
horse. 

Justice rules the throttle of the heart of him who 
glides along the way of life, and teaches him to render 
unto man his proper dues at every station on the jour- 
ney. 




h^ 



CHAPTER XIII 
Be Just 

ARCHBISHOP ABBOT of Canterbury when 
preaching the funeral sermon of Lord Buck- 
hurst, did not dwell on his merits as a states- 
man, or his genius as a poet, but upon his vir- 
tues as a man in relation to the ordinary duties of life. 
"How many rare things were in him," said he, ''one of 
which was justice." The first and most essential exer- 
cise of love toward other persons is respect of their 
rights. It is a virtue that will govern one's thoughts, 
engineer one's actions, influence one's life, and com- 
mand the universal esteem of mankind. 

To be just means to deal fairly with others. It is 
conformity to the principle of right, truthfulness to 
promise, faithfulness to engagement and trustworthi- 
ness in every capacity. True, it is not always done. 
In business, wrong methods, short measures, false 
weights are often used. In society misrepresentation 
seems to hold an important part, but no boy need re- 
sort to such measures, for he can succeed without 
them. 

JUSTNESS POSSIBLE AND PROFITABLE. 

When Athens was governed by the thirty tyrants, 
Socrates was summoned to the Senate Chamber and 
ordered to go with others whom they named, to seize 
one Leon, a man of rank and fortune whom they de- 
termined to slay that they might enjoy his estate. This 
commission Socrates positively refused. "I will not 
willingly," said he, ''assist in an unjust act." One of 

153 



154 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

the tyrants sharply repHed, "Dost thou think, Socrates, 
to talk in this high tone, and not suffer?" "Far from 
it," replied he, "I expect to suffer a thousand ills, but 
none so great as to do unjustly." 

Percy tells of a Persian king who desired a little salt 
to season some venison while on a hunting expedition. 
One of his attendants went to a neighboring village and 
took some by force. The king, suspecting the theft, 
ordered that he should immediately go and pay for it, 
saying : "This is a small thing in itself, but a great one 
as regards me, for a king ought always to be just, be- 
cause he is an example to his subjects, and if he 
swerves in trifles he will become dissolute. If I cannot 
make all my subjects just in the smallest thing, I can 
at least show them that it is possible for me to be so." 

THE INJUSTICE OF A MOORISH KING. 

Injustice in word or deed, however small, is a 
crime, which may benefit the doer for a time, but which 
will eventually pain him more than him to whom it is 
done. "If thou hadst," said Carlyle, "all the artillery 
of the world marching at thy back in the support of 
an unjust thing, it would not be a success. If the 
thing is not just thou hast not succeeded." A Moor- 
ish king desired to purchase a piece of ground from a 
woman who preferred to keep it. Thereupon the king 
seized it and built upon it a pavilion. The poor woman 
complained to the cadi and he promised to do all in 
his power to make it right. One day, while the king 
was in the field, the cadi came with an empty sack and 
asked to fill it with the earth on which he was treading. 
Having obtained leave he filled the sack, and then re- 
quested the king to complete his kindness by helping 
him load it on his horse. The monarch laughed,' and 
tried to lift it, but soon let it drop, complaining of its 
great weight. "It is however," said the cadi, "only a 



Be Just 155 

small part of the ground thou hast wrested from one 
of thy subjects ; how then wilt thou bear the weight of 
the whole field, when thou shalt appear before the 
great Judge laden with thine iniquity?" The reproof 
was severe. The conscience of the king troubled him 
now like a rawhide lash, and he restored the field to its 
owner, together with the pavilion and the wealth it 
contained. 

TO WHOM TO BE JUST. 

When William the Conqueror left the shores of 
France eight centuries ago, to make conquest of Eng- 
land, the figure-head of the royal galley in which he 
sailed, and which led the fleet, was a golden boy point- 
ing the way across the channel to England and to vic- 
tory. Significant the symbol ! What the future will 
be depends on the boys of the present, and if they point 
with justness toward themselves and others, it will 
mean the ushering in of a golden era. 

In being just, every boy should love himself to that 
extent to deal honorably with every faculty of his na- 
ture, giving it due authority in the government of his 
conduct. He should not allow his affections to be 
loose, his will to run haphazard like a clock without a 
pendulum, or his appetite to be always gratified, like 
the voracious whirlpool of Niagara, but with self-re- 
spect he should make them subservient to his better 
nature. In his early political days. President Garfield 
was urged to do some doubtful political action. He re- 
plied: "It is impossible, I must eat and sleep and live 
constantly with James A. Garfield ; and I am bound to 
have his good opinion of my conduct, even if I must 
forfeit that of everybody else." 

"Here, sir, clean my boots," said a British officer to 
Andrew Jackson, who, when a boy of thirteen was 
captured in the Revolutionary War. "I am a prisoner 



156 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

of war, sir, and I look for such treatment as I am en- 
titled to." The officer flew into a rage, and, drawing 
his sword, aimed a blow at the boy's head. To ward it 
of¥ Andrew raised his arm and the sharp blade cut the 
flesh to the bone. Years after when Andrew was 
President of the United States he would point to it 
as an evidence of the officer's injustice to him, when 
the rules of war acknowledged that he was simply ex- 
ercising justness to himself. 

Every boy should also be just to others. "Do unto 
others as ye would they should do unto you'' is a good 
motto. Following this, what a delightful world this 
would be. Better wages would be given, the poor, crime 
and criminals would decrease; less trickery would be 
associated with business, and a better standard in meas- 
uring one's conduct would be used. 

There once lived in Marseilles an elderly man who 
was considered a miser, because he carried on a flour- 
ishing business, yet never seemed to spend any more 
than he could help. He lived alone in one room, 
dressed poorly and never allowed himself any luxuries. 
People pointed the finger of scorn at him on the street, 
children mocked him as he passed, yet he never re- 
sented their unkindness. At last he was missed. 
Search being made, he was found dead in his room. 
In his hand was a paper. It proved to be a will by 
which the whole of his great fortune was given to pro- 
vide the city of Marseilles with free and pure water for 
the use of all. For this object he had spared and 
saved and suffered shame and abuse, that the very peo- 
ple who had ill-treated him might be given this bless- 
ing for which they suffered. He had been unjustly 
criticised, because the people did not understand his 
motive. How much better to speak and act justly! 
Cruel words wound, cruel actions crush. They may 
not be the most severe, but as a mouse can trouble an 



Be Just 157 

elephant, a gnat worry a lion, a flea disgust a giant, so 
these little unjust words and works make life unpleas- 
ant to those to whom they are done. Better employ 
Maximilian's motto, ''Let justice be done though the 
heavens fall," for such will finally triumph for good. 

REWARD OF JUSTICE. 

To be just on all occasions demands concentration of 
one's moral powers, as the capture of a strong city 
sometimes demands the forces both of land and sea. 
It is easy to be just to a friend, but one cannot afford 
to be otherwise to an enemy. Justice knows no class 
or caste. Thus the Egyptians represented it as a human 
form without hands or eyes, indicating that he ac- 
cepted no bribes, knew no difference between friend 
or foe, was not influenced by fear or favor, but de- 
cided every case on its merits. 

A MEMORIAL OF JUSTICE. 

During the reign of Frederick, king of Prussia, there 
was near Potsdam a mill which interfered with a view 
from the window of his palace. Annoyed by this in- 
convenience to his favorite residence the king sent to 
inquire the price for which it would be sold. "For no 
price," was the reply of the sturdy Prussian. In a mo- 
ment of anger, Frederick gave orders that the mill be 
torn down. "The king may do this," the miller quietly 
remarked, folding his arms, "but there are laws in 
Prussia," and forthwith he commenced proceedings 
against the monarch. The court decided that the king 
must rebuild the mill, and pay besides a large sum of 
money as compensation for the injury which he had 
done. He was very mortified on learning this, but in- 
stead of disdaining the order, turned to his courtiers 
and said, "I am glad to find that just laws and upright 
judges exist in my kingdom." Years after, the pro- 



158 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

prietor of the mill, having been reduced in circum- 
stances, wrote to the king, stating if his majesty now- 
entertained a similar desire to obtain possession of the 
property, it would be very agreeable to him in his 
present embarrassed circumstances, to sell the mill. 
The king immediately wrote the following reply : 

''My dear Neighbor, — 

"I cannot allow you to sell the mill. It must remain 
in your possession as long as one member of your fam- 
ily exists, for it belongs to the history of Prussia. I 
lament, however, to hear that you are in circumstances 
of embarrassment, and forthwith enclose a check large 
enough to arrange your affairs. Consider me always 
''Your affectionate neighbor, 

'Trederick William." 

My boy, be just. You can if you will, and there is 
no reason in all the varied activities and experiences of 
life, why you should not. 

"To thine own self be true, 

And it must follow as the night the day 

Thou canst not then be false to any man." 

Do not be just from a mercenary idea, for that is only 
another form of injustice. But be just because it is 
right, and right makes men, and men are the great 
need of the hour. 

"Poise then, the cause in Justice's equal scales, 
Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause pre- 
vails." 



CHAPTER XIV 
Be Kind 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XIV 
By George T. Angell 

WHENEVER a brave, kind word needs to be 
said, say it ; whenever a brave, kind act 
needs to be done, do it. Always feed the 
song- birds, but spare their nests ; sprinkle 
ashes in icy streets, that men and horses may not fall ; 
put the blankets that have blown off the horses on again, 
and tuck them under the harness; protect the useful 
toad, and avoid treading on the useful and harmless 
worm. 

*'Be kind to dumb creatures, nor grudge them your 

care; 
God gave them their life, and your love they must 

share ; 
And He zvho the sparrow's fall tenderly heeds, 
Will lovingly look on compassionate deeds/' 

In our ''Band of Mercy" we have a pledge which 
every boy should heed, which will make him not only 
happier but better and more merciful in all the re- 
lations of life. 'T will try to be kind to all harmless, 
living creatures, both human and dumb, and will try 
and protect them from cruel usage." Do this, my boy, 
and you will be happy in the doing. 



1 60 



CHAPTER XIV 
Be Kind 

THE story is related of a king who had a boy in 
whom he took great dehght. He gave him 
beautiful rooms to live in, with rich pictures 
and books, and servants to wait on him wher- 
ever he went. He also provided teachers who were to 
impart knowledge to him of things which would make 
him good and great ; but with all this the young prince 
was unhappy. He wore a frown wherever he went, and 
was always wishing for something he did not have. 
At length one day a magician came to court. He saw 
the scowl on the boy's face, and said to the king, *T 
can make your son happy and turn his frowns into 
smiles, but you must pay me a large sum for telling 
him the secret." "All right," said the king, "what- 
ever you ask I will give." The price was agreed upon 
and paid, and the magician took the boy into a private 
room. He wrote something with a white substance on 
a piece of paper, then gave the boy a candle, and told 
him to light it, hold it under the paper, and see what 
he could read. He then departed. The boy did as he 
had been told and the white letters turned into a beau- 
tiful blue. They formed these words, "Do a kindness 
to some one every day." The prince was very much 
impressed with these words and undertook to put them 
into practice, and this resulted in his becoming very 
popular and useful in the realm. 
II i6i 



i62 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

KINDNESS AND UNKINDNESS. 

Few words are greater in the English language than 
kindness. It is as mighty as it is gentle. Few things 
cost so little, yet benefit so much. But unkindness al- 
ways arises from a heart inclined more or less to be 
cruel. Because of this the memory of Nero has been 
treated with contempt for ages. When a boy, he de- 
lighted in torturing flies by pulling off their legs, and 
then watching them struggle to get away. When he 
"became emperor he burnt the Christians in his gardens, 
and wished that all the Romans had but one neck that 
he might cut off their heads at one blow. Thoreau, on 
the other hand, is revered for his gentle, loving dis- 
position. Though an ardent naturalist he seldom if 
ever inflicted death for the sake of the furtherance of 
his scientific observations. About the year 1845 he 
took to the woods near Walden Pond, Massachusetts, 
and built a house, to the surprise of the raccoons and 
squirrels. But the animals soon learned that he meant 
them no harm. He would lie down on a fallen tree, 
or on the edge of a rock, and at his call they would 
come to him. Even the snakes would wind around 
his legs, and the squirrels would hide their heads in 
his waistcoat. The fish in the river knew him, and 
would allow him to lift them from the water. He 
could pull a woodchuck out of his hole by its tail. Rab- 
bits and birds paid no heed whatever to him while he 
sat and watched them or plied his work by chopping 
trees and raising vegetables, and when he built his 
house over the nest of a woodmouse, which at first be- 
came alarmed, it soon became so tame as to pick the 
crumbs at his feet and nibble the cheese in his hand. 

THE BRAVEST ARE THE TENDEREST. 

Some years ago, General David S. Stanley was lay- 



Be Kind 163 

ing out the route for a great railroad across the plains. 
There were two thousand men, twenty-five hundred 
horses and mules, and a train of two hundred and fifty 
wagons heavily laden. One day the general was rid- 
ing at the head of the broad column, when suddenly 
his voice rang out: *'Halt!" A bird's nest lay on the 
ground directly in front of him. In another moment the 
horses would have trampled on the nestlings. The 
mother bird was flying about and chirping in the great- 
est anxiety. But the brave general had not brought 
out his army to destroy a bird's nest. He halted a 
moment, looked at the little birds and then gave the 
order : "Left oblique !" Men, horses, mules and wagons 
turned aside and spared the home of the helpless bird. 
Years after, those who crossed the plains saw a great 
bend in the trail, which was the bend made to avoid 
crushing the bird's nest. 

George Stephenson, when a boy, would never rob 
a bird's nest, because, as he used to tell his companions : 
*Tt grieves the old bird." One day when his genius 
was changing the face of the earth by the railway en- 
gine, he went to an upper room of his house and closed 
a window. It had been open a long time because of the 
intense summer heat, but now the weather was becom- 
ing cooler, and Mr. Stephenson thought it would be 
well to shut it. Two or three days later he chanced to 
observe a bird flying against it with all its might as if 
trying to break it. His curiosity was aroused. He 
went at once and opened the window and as he did so 
the bird flew straight to one particular spot in the room, 
where Stephenson saw a nest. The poor bird looked at 
it and then fluttered to the floor, broken-hearted and 
almost dead. The great man drew near. There sat 
the mother bird, and under her wings four tiny ones, 
all dead. Tenderly he lifted the exhausted bird from 
the floor and carefully tried to revive it, but it speedily 



164 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

died. In its beak was a worm it had long struggled to 
bring to its home and little ones, and as Mr. Stephen- 
son looked, he wept. 

The brave Colonel John Sobieski thought the un- 
wanton killing of birds nothing short of murden 
Speaking of one of his hunting trips he said, ''Saun- 
tering leisurely along under tall elms, I heard a bird 
singing, and looking up, I saw a wee bit of a bird 
perched upon a lofty limb, singing very sweetly. With- 
out a moment's thought, and without the slightest idea 
that I could hit so small a mark, I up and banged 
away. I saw some feathers fly, and the little songster 
came dropping down from branch to branch, and fell 
at my feet. I stooped down and picked it up. It was 
a tiny little thing, not much bigger than my thumb, of 
a yellowish-green color, as beautiful as it could be. 
Then, like a flash, the thought came to me, 'What a 
contemptible deed I have done. Here was one of God's 
beautiful creatures that had just as much right to ex- 
istence as I, and its life, doubtless, was as sweet to it 
as mine was to me, and at that very moment that it was 
singing its beautiful songs to make the world more 
pleasant and glorious, I had brutally shot it to death.' I 
carefully buried it among the leaves, and then promised 
myself that I would never again wantonly destroy life. 
I regard this the greatest crime I ever committed." 

DUMB ANIMALS. 

Sometimes boys are unkind to dumb animals, teas- 
ing them for sport or imposing on them for gain. 
Few animals show more fidelity and attachment 
to us than the dog and horse. What warnings 
the former gives ! How faithfully he watches by day 
and night! With what cheerful alacrity the "Shep- 
herd" goes for the cattle and the "Mastiff" protects the 



Be Kind 165 

home! How many lives have been saved from a 
watery grave by the "Newfoundland," or from a snowy 
one by the "St. Bernard !" 

Walter Scott tells of a dog which saved his master 
from being burned alive. The dog of Montargis vainly 
defended his master against the enemy, but successfully 
led to the discovery of the murderer. A pet spaniel 
saved the life of William the Silent by scratching his 
face, when asleep. A body of Alva's Spanish troops 
surprised Dutch William's camp, and though his 
guards perished, he effected his escape by mounting a 
horse. In the excavation of the buried city of Hercu- 
laneum, the skeleton of a dog was found stretched over 
that of a boy twelve years of age, which he endeavored 
to save from death by suffocation or fire. All that 
remained to tell the story of its fidelity was a collar with 
an inscription that told how on three occasions it had 
saved the life of its master, once from the sea, once 
from robbers, and once from wolves. 

Of the horse many beautiful and pathetic stories are 
related. It is said they never forget a road once trav- 
eled, and are very loving in their attachment. During 
the Peninsular war a trumpeter of French cavalry was 
killed. Many days after the engagement, his body was 
found, guarded by his faithful charger, which had 
stayed by its dead master, protecting his body. When 
found, the poor horse was in a sad condition ; so great 
was its grief, that even after the trumpeter had been 
buried it required great persuasion to be prevailed 
upon to eat. 

Some animals can take their part, as many a boy, 
through lacerated fingers and severe wounds and 
bruises, knows. But there are many which cannot, 
yet every one is entitled to and appreciates kindness. 
"There is," as Ruskin said, "a flash of strange light 
through which their life looks out and up to our great 



1 66 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

mystery of command over them, and claiming the fel- 
lowship of the creature, if not of the soul." 

"l WAS THAT BOY." 

Boys should be kind to one another. Unkind acts 
are lasting as indelible ink; they are like letters writ- 
ten in lemon- juice, which become legible when brought 
before the fire; they stir the heart, awaken memory, 
and distress the soul. A prominent lawyer who became 
attorney-general of Missouri relates that while in Gov- 
ernor Steward's office, a convict was brought in from 
the penitentiary to receive a pardon at the Governor's 
hands. The convict was a steamboat man, with the 
rough manners of his class. Looking at him the 
Governor became greatly affected. Then he signed the 
document which restored the man's liberty, but before 
handing it over said, "You will commit some crime, I 
fear, and will soon be back in prison." The man pro- 
tested that such a thing should never again happen. 
"You will go back to the river and be a mate again, I 
suppose?" asked the Governor. The man said that 
was his intention. "Well, I want you to pledge me 
your word that when you are mate again you will never 
take a billet of wood, and drive a poor sick boy out of 
his bunk to help load your boat on a stormy night." 
The man promised that he never would, and in sur- 
prise asked the Governor why he desired such a pledge. 
"Because," answered he, "some day that boy may be- 
come Governor, and you may want him to pardon you 
for some crime. One stormy black night, many years 
ago, you stopped your boat on the Mississippi to take 
on a load of wood. There was a boy on board working 
his passage from New Orleans to St. Louis, but he be- 
came sick and was lying in his bunk. You had enough 
men to do the work, but you went to that sick boy, 
drove him to the deck with blows and curses, and kept 



Be Kind 167 

him toiling like a slave till the load was complete. I 
was that boy. Here is your pardon. Never again be 
guilty of so brutal an act." The prisoner took the par- 
don, covered his face and went out, ashamed of his con- 
duct, and greatly affected by the charity of one who 
showed mercy when he could have had revenge. 

"you called me brother." 

My boy, be kind. *Tf a man would have friends, 
he must show himself friendly." *'A little thought 
and a little kindness," said Ruskin, "are often worth 
more than a great deal of money." Of Cornelius Van- 
derbilt it was said, "He was a man of the utmost kindli- 
ness, who treated all, of whatever station, with cour- 
tesy, and age with deference." Julian Ralph writing of 
General Wade Hampton said, "He was a gentleman; 
and the qualities of mercy, kindliness and protection 
to the lowly were strong in his blood." It is kindness 
in the heart, on the lips and at the finger-tips, which 
wins the affection not only of beasts and birds, but also 
of men, women and children. 

Be kind in voice. No member has more power of 
good or evil. A single word may sting like an adder, 
or soothe like oil. It can thrill to action, drive to mad- 
ness, or lead to despair. It can cut the heart like sor- 
row, or cheer like sunshine. Look out for your words. 
Take care of the tones. It is not always so much what 
one says as the manner in which it is said. Elihu 
Burritt wisely remarked, "There is no one thing that 
love so much needs as a sweet voice, to tell what it 
means and feels. One must start in youth, and be on 
the watch night and day, at work and play to get and 
keep a voice that shall speak at all times the thoughts 
of a kind heart." 

During the famine in Russia when thousands were 
reduced to the verge of starvation, Count Tolstoi 



1 68 Stepping Stones to Manhoocf 

passed a beggar on the street corner. Stretching out 
his gaunt hands, the miserable creature asked for 
alms. Tolstoi felt in all his pockets for a coin to be- 
stow upon him. He turned his pockets inside out, but 
to no purpose. His money had already been spent in 
charity and he had nothing. Taking the beggar's 
hand in both of his, he said : ''Do not be angry with me, 
brother, I have nothing with me." The gaunt face 
lighted up, the man lifted his bloodshot eyes, his blue 
lips parted in a smile. "But you called me brother; 
that was a great gift," he said. Yes, kind words, gen- 
tle words, sympathetic words are cheap. They cost 
nothing, but profit greatly. They are like oil to ma- 
chinery. They disarm anger and are a tonic to the dis- 
heartened. Therefore 

^'Keep a watch on your words, my hoy, 
For words are wonderful things; 
They are sweet like the bees' fresh honey, 
Like bees, they have terrible stings; 
They can bless like the warm, glad sunshine. 
And brighten the lonely life; 
They can cut in the strife of anger, 
Yes, cut like a two-edged knife." 

ONLY A SHILLING. 

Be kind in act. Hands are deaf and dumb, but they 
should be the instruments of a tender heart, having a 
soft touch. Gladstone, with an empire on his shoul- 
ders, found time to leave Parliament and carry flowers 
to a little sick crossing-sweeper. A small girl selling 
chestnuts arrested the attention of a young man who 
gave her a shilling. Years after a poor man called upon 
a rich bank director to ask for a position as messenger. 
The director's wife recognized him as he passed out. 
She learned his business with her husband and said 



Be Kind 169 

with earnestness, "Give him the situation." "Why?" 
he asked. The wife told the story how he had given 
her the shilling. The husband was pleased to favor 
his wife and that night the man received a note as he 
sat by his sick wife. Opening it, he exclaimed : "Good 
news, wife ! We shall not starve ; here is a promise of 
a situation." His wife called his attention to some- 
thing that fell upon the floor. It was a fifty pound note 
folded in a paper bearing the inscription, "In grateful 
remembrance of the shilling which a kind stranger be- 
stowed on a little girl selling chestnuts twenty years 
ago." ^ 

Be kind, my boy. There is a magic charm connected 
with it. So thought William Cowper, who said he 
would not trust a man who would with his foot crush 
a worm. So thought the private secretary of President 
Lincoln, when he found him in the Capitol grounds 
trying to put a little bird back to the nest from which 
it had fallen. So thought George Dana Boardman, 
who could not enjoy the so-called sports of hunting 
and fishing, because of the suffering they wrought upon 
the innocent and helpless. Ah, my lad, just as An- 
drocles extracted the thorn from the lion's paw, and 
was afterwards defended by that lion, kindness seldom 
goes unrecompensed. It gives satisfaction to the donor 
and comfort to the donee. 

''You never can tell when you do an act 

Just what the result will he; 
But with every deed you are sowing a seed, 

Though its harvest you may not see. 
Each kindly act is an acorn dropped 

In God's productive soil; 
Which you may not know, yet the tree shall grow 

And shelter the brows that toil." 



CHAPTER XV 
Be Generous 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XV 
By Gen. Thomas J. Morgan 

God blesses still the generous thought 
And still the fitting word he speeds, 

And truth, at His requiring taught, 
He quickens into deeds. 

— Whittier. 

ONE of the noblest traits which a boy can culti- 
vate in his relations with his fellows is that 
of generosity. He is a mean fellow who is 
always thinking and planning for himself only 
and seeking to get the advantage of others. A noble- 
hearted, manly boy thinks of the welfare of those 
around him, and is always ready to lend a hand to those 
that are in need. Deeds of generosity tend to develop 
a character which everybody admires. Generosity 
pays ; it begets self-respect ; enlarges a boy's views and 
sympathies, and brings him into delightful relationship 
with kindred minds. If you have anything especially 
good don't fail to share it with others who have less, 
or none. Be generous. 




172 



CHAPTER XV 
Be Generous 

DURING one of his wars Napoleon captured two 
British sailors and confined them in a prison 
in central France. The men escaped and 
made their way to Boulogne on the sea coast, 
without being discovered. For a long time they could 
get no further. The love of home and liberty at length 
grew too strong to be resisted, and they resolved to take 
chances on their departure. With no other tools than 
their knives the Englishmen made a boat of small 
pieces of wood. It was a leaky affair when completed, 
and in order to make it float they had to cover it with 
some old scraps of sail. Sure of being shot if discov- 
ered, and with every chance of being drowned if they 
reached the open sea, they decided to attempt to cross 
the stormy English Channel in their rickety skiff. In 
the afternoon before they were to make the effort they 
saw an English frigate within sight of the coast, and 
hastened to launch the crazy craft and tried to reach 
the vessel. Some French soldiers discovered them, 
and, leaping into a boat, soon brought them back. The 
captors were very much astonished at the daring of the 
sailors, and soon the news of their adventure spread 
throughout the camp, and the wonderful courage of the 
two men was the subject of general remark. At 
length the episode came to the ears of Napoleon. The 
great soldier was always attracted by a bold deed, and 
went to look at the boat in which the sailors had 
started. After seeing it he was more impressed than 

173 



174 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ever, and had the EngHshmen brought before him. 
"Is it really true," he said, "that you thought of cross- 
ing the sea in this ?" "Sire," said one of them, "if you 
doubt it, give us leave to go and see us depart." "I 
will," exclaimed the emperor. "You are brave men. 
I admire courage wherever I meet it. You are at lib- 
erty. But you need not risk your lives. I will put you 
aboard an English ship. When you reach London, tell 
your countrymen how I admire bravery, even in an 
enemy." He gave the sailors money and saw that they 
were well treated. The French officers were very much 
astonished, for the captives had been condemned to 
death, but Napoleon's generosity granted their free- 
dom, and with it a safe conduct to their homes. 

WHAT IT MEANS. 

What Napoleon was in this instance every boy can be. 
Generosity is a beautiful characteristic of a noble soul. 
As the hands of a clock tell the hour of time, generosity 
bespeaks heart-felt love and sympathy. And 

"The truly generous is the truly wise; 
And he who loves not others lives unhlest." 

This word "generous" was once supposed to apply 
to nobility of descent, but now it applies to nobility of 
character. It is used in several ways, yet all fit and de- 
pend on each other as joists fit in mortises. Some one 
has defined the word as greatness of mind. Mind, that 
which Seneca calls "the proper judge of man," "that 
which makes," as Shakespeare said, "the body rich." 
But greatness of mind is much more significant. It is 
like a large number before a cipher. It is, as Johnson 
said : "Great in great things and elegant in little things." 

"If there is a boy in school," says Horace Mann, 
"who has a club foot, don't let him know you ever saw 



Be Generous 175 

it. If there is a boy with ragged clothes, don't talk 
about rags in his hearing. If there is a lame boy, as- 
sign him to some part of the game that does not require 
running. If there is a hungry one, give him part of 
your dinner. If there is a dull one, help him to get his 
lessons. If there is a bright one, be not envious of 
him, for, if one boy is proud of his talents and another 
is envious of them, there are two great wrongs and no 
more talent than before. If a larger or stronger boy has 
injured you, and is sorry for it, forgive him. All the 
school will show by their countenances how much bet- 
ter it is than to have a great fuss. And remember Him 
who said: 'Love your enemies,' 'bless them which 
curse you.' " 

MEANNESS AND INJUSTICE. 

As the North Pole is the opposite to the South Pole, 
so generosity stands over against selfishness. It glories 
in the right but scorns the wrong. "What can I do for 
you, madam?" asked President Jackson of an early 
caller at the White House. "Mr. President," replied 
the visitor, "I am a poor widow and keep a boarding- 
house on E Street. Mr. H. has boarded with me 
for several months, but declines to settle his account. 
He receives a good salary as a clerk in the Treasury 
Department, but I cannot collect any money of him." 
"Why not ?" "He won't pay it, sir." "How much does 
he owe you, madam?" "Nearly $200." "What is his 
salary?" "Almost $2,000 a year." "That is a fair in- 
come," said the President, thoughtfully, "he ought to 
live on that." "He has paid me nothing for five 
months, sir. I need the money and came to ask your ad- 
vice how to get it." "He admits his indebtedness?" 
"Yes, sir, but he avoids me, on pay days, and I can get 
no satisfaction from him, after repeated solicitations." 
"He must pay you, madam." "I hope he can be made 



176 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

to. I can ill afford to lose it." *'Go to him," said Jack- 
son, "and get his note at thirty days for the full amount 
and interest." "His note, sir ! It wouldn't be worth a 
penny." "Get his note," repeated the President, "and 
come to me again. We shall see how much it will be 
worth." The widow withdrew. "I must have some 
kind of settlement of our account to-day," she said to 
the delinquent boarder at noon, "if you cannot pay me 
cash you must give me your note at thirty days for the 
full amount and interest." "Note? Certainly," re- 
plied the clerk, carelessly, "I'll give you half a dozen 
notes if that will do you any good. What are you going 
to do with it ?" he continued, as he handed her the pa- 
per, without the slightest intention of paying it at ma- 
turity. "Collect it," replied the landlady, firmly. "Hope 
you'll have a good time and be successful at it," said H., 
smiling sarcastically. "I certainly shall," said the 
widow. "This note squares our account in full. You 
will please find other accommodations, Mr. H., from 
to-day." Mr. H. left as requested, and next morning 
the widow called on the President a second time. 
"Good morning, miadam," said he, "did you get the 
note?" "Oh, yes, sir. He was very ready. But he 
laughed at me for being so easily satisfied with his mere 
promise to pay." "Well, madam," said the President, 
as he took the note and wrote boldly across the back, 
"Andrew Jackson," "put this in the Washington Bank 
for collection. You've got a good endorser, at all 
events. The note will be paid at maturity. Good morn- 
ing, madam." 

In due time the landlady notified H. that his note for 
$200 was due at the bank, on a certain day, but he only 
smiled. "But that note will surely be paid," said the 
widow, confidently, "for I've got a good man's name on 
the back of it." "Have you, indeed?" asked the clerk, 
with a chuckle. "Who was fool enough to endorse my 



Be Generous 177 

note for $200 ?" Merely out of curiosity to see who the 
fool was, he called at the bank the day the note was 
due. But he did not laugh when he read the endorse- 
ment. He could not afford to let that name go to pro- 
test, so he paid the note at once. Three days later he 
received the following letter : 

Treasury Department. 
Washington, D. C, 

183.. 

Mr. L. H. 

Sir: 

Your services as clerk in the — th auditor's office 

will not he required after this date. By order of the 

President. t/ 

Yours, etc., 



Secretary, etc. 

LIBERALITY. 



The word generous is now generally used for liber- 
ality. Hon. Chester Kingsley, who has given freely of 
his means to benevolent objects, tells how when a boy 
he used to pray God to give him *'a hand to get and a 
heart to give." Such a prayer was far-reaching. It 
meant co-operation of hand and heart, a hand to be 
industrious, a heart to be charitable. Here is a lesson 
for every boy. Train the hand to make an honest dol- 
lar, the heart to consecrate it to noble purpose and the 
mind to learn discretion in giving. 

If there is one thing that creates happiness more than 
another, it is making some one else happy. 

''True happiness {if understood) 
Consists alone in doing good.'' 

So wrote the poet Thomson. 'Tt is more blessed to give 
than to receive," said the most liberal Giver of the 



178 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ages. One needs to give to keep the heart open, to 
give without looking for returns, though such giving, 
hke the dove of Noah's ark, always comes back in due 
season with the olive leaf of reward. 

LEGEND AND FACT. 

A poor fatherless boy, according to a German legend, 
had gathered in the woods a dish of strawberries. Re- 
turning home, a venerable old man startled him by call- 
ing out, "My lad, let me have thy full dish and thou 
take my empty one." Pity for the old man's weakness 
and helplessness overcame the boy's reluctance to part 
with his berries, and he made the exchange. Soon he 
filled the empty dish and returned with it to his mother, 
to whom he told the story of his adventure. "Ah, 
happy are we, my child," she exclaimed, "the dish is 
pure gold." Though simple the story, it illustrates 
this profound truth, that the simplest and freest gifts 
return to us in richer and more acceptable favors. Then 

''Give to the world the best you have, 
And the best will come back to you." 

A poor soldier one day called at the shop of a hair 
dresser, who was busy with his customers, and asked 
relief, stating that he had stayed beyond his leave of 
absence, and unless he could get passage on a coach, 
fatigue and severe punishment awaited him. The hair- 
dresser listened to his story respectfully and gave him a 
guinea. "God bless you, sir!" exclaimed the soldier, 
astonished at the amount, "how can I repay you? I 
have nothing in the world but this," pulling a dirty 
scrap of paper from his pocket. "It is a receipt for 
making blacking, and is the best that was ever seen. 
Many a half guinea I have had for it from the officers, 
and many bottles have I sold. May you be able to get 
something for it to repay you for your kindness to a 



Be Generous 179 

poor soldier." Oddly enough, that dirty piece of paper 
proved worth half a million pounds to the hair-dresser. 
It was no less than the receipt for the famous Day and 
Martin's blacking, the hair-dresser being the late 
wealthy Mr. Day, whose factory is one of the notable 
sights of the English metropolis. 

Be generous, my boy. Not in one thing, but many. 
In chemical galvanism, it is the number, not the size, 
of the cells, which increases the power of the battery. 
In generosity, it is not the large gift, but the number of 
little gifts ; not the one kind word, but the many. Not 
the great acts, but the continued small ones. To your 
enemy manifest generosity in forgiveness ; to your op- 
ponent, tolerance ; to your parents, deference ; to your- 
self, respect ; to all, charity. 

''Count that day lost whose low descending sun 
Views from thy hand no worthy action done." 



CHAPTER XVI 
Be Careful of Your Company 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XVI 
By Neal Dow 

Be cautious with whom you associate, and never give your 
company or your confidence to persons of whose good prin- 
ciples you are not certain. — Bishop Coleridge. 

NO company is far preferable to bad, because we are more 
apt to catch the vices of others than virtues, as disease is far 
more contagious than health. — Colton. 

AVOID as if struck with leprosy, anyone who is 
profane, who smokes, who is untruthful, who 
is unmindful of the rights and feelings of 
others, and do not forget that strong drink leads di- 
rectly to all evil. Avoid it as you would a fatal dis- 
ease. 






182 



CHAPTER XVI 
Be Careful of Your Company 

THERE Is a well established rule, by which one is 
judged by the company he keeps. No word of 
explanation need be given, for the companions 
he selects and in whose circle he moves speak 
louder than words. The choice of associates is a very 
important one. As in a vitiated air, it is hard for a 
strong constitution to escape sickness, so however firm 
and settled a boy's principles might be, there is danger 
of losing them by the influence and example of corrupt 
companions. 

It is said to be a property of the tree-frog to acquire 
the color of any object to which it adheres for a short 
time. Thus if found on growing corn it is commonly a 
dark green, and if found on the white oak, it has the 
color peculiar to that tree. Just so is it with boys. One 
usually resembles those with whom he associates and 
becomes like them. Unconsciously he takes on their 
image, thinks and acts like them, and is a just photo- 
graph of them. If the companions are of high moral 
standard they will prove a blessing, but if slovenly and 
unclean in appearance, unbecoming in language, im- 
polite in action, they will be a curse. The boy who as- 
sociates with these invites an unsavory reputation ; and 
sooner or later, no matter what excellent qualities 
he may have, will be contaminated as is silver when 
kept in contact with copper. 

183 



184 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

IMPOSSIBLE TO BE GOOD AND KEEP BAD COMPANY. 

In no little degree is one influenced by the speech, 
manners and habits of companions. "Is example noth- 
ing?" asks Edmund Burke. "It is everything. Ex- 
ample is the school of mankind, and it will learn at no 
other," he answers. It is because of this that many law- 
breakers come from the best families through evil as- 
sociations. "May it please the Court," said a convicted 
criminal when asked if he had anything to say before 
sentence of death was passed upon him, "bad company 
has been my ruin. I received the blessings of good par- 
ents, and in return promised to avoid all evil associa- 
tions. Had I kept my promise, I should have been 
saved from this shame and been free from the load of 
guilt that rests upon me. I, who once moved in good 
society, am lost, and all through evil companions." 
Many inexperienced boys form the idea that by associ- 
ating with rough, fast lads they might influence them 
to be better, or by seeing the evil effects would learn to 
abhor wickedness the more. These thoughts are foolish 
in the extreme, and if put into practice, deprave nine 
times out of ten. 

There is a poisonous reptile mentioned in "In Trop- 
ical Africa" that has lived so long in a certain colored 
gravel that it has taken on the exact color, so that a 
traveler cannot distinguish the one from the other un- 
less the reptile moves. To come in contact with it is to 
risk one's life. So the boy who wilfully courts the 
company of the bad risks the safety of his character, 
for "vice," as Pope said, 

'' — is a monster with such frightful mien, 
As to he hated, needs hut to he seen; 
Yet, seen too oft, familiar with its face. 
We -first endure, then pity, then emhrace^ 



Be Careful of Your Company 185 

Chemists tell us that one grain of iodine imparts 
color to seven thousand grains of water. One bad boy 
may do more to injure one's character in a day than a 
lifetime can remedy. Goodness and badness will as- 
sociate no more than light and darkness. A rotten 
apple will corrupt a barrel of good ones, but a barrel of 
good ones will not restore a rotten one. Separation 
is the only safe plan. 

THE ENCHANTER AND THE YOUTH. 

A great magician once took a company of Bavarian 
youths to a lonely place and entertained them at their 
request with his incantations. He drew a circle around 
them with his sword and warned them not to leave or 
break over on any account. By his first incantation he 
surrounded them with armed men, who dared them to 
conflict, but none of them would be lured or drawn be- 
yond the line he had made with his sword. By the sec- 
ond enchantment he surrounded them with a company 
of beautiful damsels, who tried every power of attrac- 
tion they could command. One of the dancing dam- 
sels whose beauty exceeded that of the others, advanced 
to one of the young men and with her enchantments 
had such an effect upon him that he entirely forgot the 
restriction and stretched forth his finger beyond the 
circle to receive the ring which she offered to place 
upon it. At once she seized him and drew him after 
her, and it was only through difficulty that he was res- 
cued. What an illustration! This circle is the rule 
of right, the armed men pride and passion, and the 
charmer a fair representative of intemperance, vice and 
sensuality. The only safety for a boy is within the cir- 
cle of right. To step over its boundary is to enter the 
domain of wrong. It is being enticed onto enchanied 
ground where evil lurks in every flower, poison hides in 
every drink and death watches beside every path. O 



1 86 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

my son, "If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 
Walk not in the way with them. Refrain thy foot from 
their path," and when they bid thee ''cast in thy lot 
among us," have the courage to refuse. 

COMPANY NOT TO KEEP. 

Avoid vulgar companions. Vulgarity is like a blot 
on a clean sheet of paper. Though it does not destroy 
the whole sheet, it damages and discounts it to such an 
extent, that it is often cast aside as worthless. 

Avoid lazy companions. The "do-nothings" are usu- 
ally the "good-for-nothings." They are of little use to 
themselves or anyone else. Industrious people shun 
them and the ambitious have no respect for them. 
Many a man who might have been rich and honorable 
has spent his last days in the penitentiary or poor- 
house because the early days were spent in idleness. 
Idleness is the mother of almost every crime, and he 
who fellowships the idler runs the risk of being crimi- 
nal. Then 

''Eschew the idle life! 
Flee, Hee, from doing naught; 
For never was there idle brain 
But bred an idle thought/' 

Avoid sceptical companions. Making religion a 
mockery is a bad trait in any boy and the sooner his 
room is considered better than his company, the sooner 
will the boy be protected from the impure and irrelig- 
ious. He who neglects the house of God, desecrates the 
Sabbath and laughs at others who are inclined to be 
pious is not the right kind of company to keep. 

An overseer in a mill found a pin which cost the 
company nearly five hundred dollars. "Was it stolen ?" 
asked an employe. "Was it a diamond pin?" "Oh, 



Be Careful of Your Company 187 

no," answered the overseer, "it was just such a pin as 
we use without stint. You see, it happened this way. 
CaHcoes, after they are printed, washed and dried, are 
smoothed by being pressed over heated rollers. By 
some mischance, a pin dropped so as to lie upon the 
principal roller, and became wedged in it, the head 
standing out a little from the surface. Over and over 
went the roller, and round and round went the cloth, 
winding at length on another roller, until the piece was 
measured off. Then another piece began to be dried 
and wound, and so on until a hundred pieces had been 
counted. These were not examined immediately, but 
removed from the machinery and laid aside. When at 
length they came to be inspected, it was found that 
there were holes in every piece throughout the web, and 
only three-quarters of a yard apart. The pieces aver- 
aged about forty yards, which at twelve and a half cents 
a yard amounted to about five hundred dollars. Of 
course the goods could not be classed as perfect, so they 
were sold as remnants at about half the price they 
would have brought had it not been for that hidden 
pin." 

Thus it is when a boy takes for his companion one 
whose language is not the most savory, who is in- 
clined to be lazy and sceptical, that he does himself a 
moral injury which increases with the association. Evil 
seed is planted in his mind, which, as Seneca said, "is 
sure to spring up in future resurrection," discounting 
his reputation and damaging his character beyond re- 
pair. 

THE KIND OF COMPANY TO KEEP. 

No boy can be too cautious with whom he associates, 
and 

"Without good company, all dainties 

Lose their true relish, and like painted grapes. 

Are only seen, not tasted." 



1 88 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Would you acquire a good reputation? Seek the 
companionship of good boys. Good begets good. 
"Flowers planted by the rose smell of the rose." **Com- 
panionship with the wise never fails to have a most 
valuable influence on the formation of character, in- 
creasing resources, strengthening resolves, elevating 
aims, and enabling one to exercise greater dexterity 
and ability in his afifairs, as well as more effective help- 
fulness to others." Thus Allan Cunningham when 
learning the trade of a stonemason in Nithsdale, walked 
all the way to Edinburgh that he might see the face of 
Sir Walter Scott as he passed along the street. Sir 
Joshua Reynolds, when a lad of only ten, thrust his 
hand through a crowd of people that he might touch the 
Pope^ — the greatest living person to his mind. Fox 
acknowledged very frequently his indebtedness to the 
example and conversation of Edmund Burke; Tyndall 
speaks of Faraday as a great energy to his life, and 
later wrote, "His works excite admiration, but contact 
with him warms and elevates the heart." Carlyle said, 
"Hero-worship exists, has existed, and will forever ex- 
ist, universally among mankind." Haydn's hero was 
Sir Joshua Reynolds ; Rogers the poet had his hero in 
the person of Dr. Samuel Johnson ; Hallam his in Ten- 
nyson ; Tennyson's was William Ewart Gladstone, 
and Henry Martyn's was a big boy who defended him 
from others who picked on him, and who assisted him 
in his studies at Cambridge. Unknown to the world the 
great missionary acknowledged that this boy kept and 
defended him from evil associates and inspired his soul 
with the love of truth and the work for which he was 
called upon to sacrifice his life. 

My boy, choose carefully your associates. "Seek at 
the first," as Marshall Field wrote, "to cultivate the 
acquaintance of those only whose contact and influence 
will kindle high purposes, as I regard the building up 



Be Careful of Your Company 189 

of a sterling character as one of the fundamental prin- 
ciples of true success." See to it that they are modest, 
studious, truthful, moral ; shunning evil places, avoid- 
ing questionable amusements, without bad habits and 
in conduct exemplary. Choose ''your superiors if pos- 
sible, your equals at least, your inferiors never." As- 
sociate with boys who will foster your piety and who 
will make jou wiser and nobler. Lord Brooks so es- 
teemed the friendship of Sir Philip Sydney that he 
chose for his epitaph: "Here lies Sir Philip Sydney's 
friend." 

''Be careful in choosing companions ; 
Seek only the brave and the true; 
And stand by your friends when in trial, 
Ne'er changing the old for the new. 
And when by false friends you are tempted 
To do things wrong, which you know, 
With firmness, with patience and kindness, 
Have courage, my boy, to say, 'No!'" 



CHAPTER XVII 
Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XVII 
By Henry H. Hadley 

The youth who bathes in pleasure's limpid stream 
At well-judged intervals, feels all his soul 
Nerved with recruited strength ; but, if too oft 
It chills his languid virtue. 

— Mason. 



M 



Y boy and my son, I advise you not to touch 
a card. Don't learn the game or watch one. 
One of my companions fell dead in a gambling 
house by a pistol shot from his own gun. His 
name was "Ben" Miller. His partner "Froom" Feath- 
erly, said to me, *'I wish I lay there with poor Ben. 
When I learned to play cards at mother's dining room 
table she never thought it would come to this. Gamb- 
ling is so fixed in my mind that I cannot stop." Drunk- 
enness is insanity of the stomach, gambling is insanity 
of the morals. 



/^^.u^y-^^^^^^^ 



192 



CHAPTER XVII 
Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 

IT is related that during the reign of the bluff King 
Hal, there lived a knight named Sir John Giffard, 
of Chillington, who possessed a beautiful leopard. 
One day the animal escaped from its cage, and Sir 
John and his son at once gave chase, for they knew that 
the leopard would spare no human being it might meet. 
At the top of a hill, a mile from his house, the worthy 
knight saw the animal about to attack a woman and 
child. Sir John was armed with a bow and arrow, and 
rather breathless through running; his son, fearing 
his shot might be too weak, shouted, "Take aim, draw 
strong!" Never was surer aim taken, for Sir John 
pierced the leopard's heart, and saved the woman and 
her babe. In consideration of this brave and skilful 
deed, the Giffards of Chillington adopted as their crest 
a leopard's head and an archer with a bent bow, with 
the motto, 'Take aim, draw strong." 

This is what many good and great men have done in 
regard to some amusements, the influences of which 
have proved destructive to character. To enjoy one- 
self is a divine right, provided stich enjoyment does not 
injure health, weaken morals or lead others to place a 
false estimate on living. 

AMUSEMENTS RIGHT AND WRONG. 

Amusement is not an end, but a means of refreshing 
the mind and replenishing the strength of the body, 
13 193 



194 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

that the work of Hfe may be easier and better done. 
When it begins to be the principal thing for which one 
Hves, or when in pursuing it, the mental powers are en- 
feebled, and health impaired, it then falls under just 
condemnation. 

Amusements that consume the hours of the night 
which were intended for rest and sleep, thus making one 
nervous, besides increasing one's love for romance and 
adventure, are wrong. Amusements which call one 
away from study or duty are pernicious, just to the ex- 
tent they cause negligence or unfaithfulness. Amuse- 
ments that rouse or stimulate morbid appetites, suggest 
wrong things, cause one to be discontented, lead into 
bad company or expenditure beyond one's means, 
should always be avoided, for their tendency is down- 
ward rather than upward. 

Care must be taken in choosing amusements. Those 
should be chosen which have some advantage beyond 
merely supplying a pleasant pastime, and those avoided 
which lead to bad company, drinking, horse racing, 
gambling or any place where so many are allured to de- 
struction. Multitudes of boys have gone down morally, 
socially, financially and spiritually under their blasting 
influences, never to rise again. There are few amuse- 
ments so harmless, but what they may be carried into 
low association and made an instrument of evil, hence 
every boy should look to himself that no dishonesty, 
betting or over-exertion be allowed. 

CARD PLAYING. 

Don't play cards. 'Ts it possible there is harm in 
cards?" you ask. 'Ts it wrong to shuffle a few pieces 
of pictured and spotted papers in the parlor?" No, 
my boy. But it is the harm which comes from them, 
with no known excuse to palliate its pernicious conse- 
quences. Card-playing has a fascination connected with 



Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 195 

it. It seems as innocent a game as swinging the mal- 
let on a croquet lawn, but it is as dangerous as a re- 
volver in the hands of a child. It has dealt out death 
and destruction by the wholesale. 'It has made," as 
Dr. Withrow said, ''so many noble lives base, upright 
people dishonest, rich people poor, poor people pain- 
fully impoverished, and altogether it has a dark in- 
dictment against it in the court of heaven." 

"they cost me my son." 

On one of the railroads leading out of Chicago, four 
men, high in position, one of them a judge, another a 
lawyer, sat passing the time away with a game of eu- 
chre. An old lady across the aisle grew restless and at 
last, standing and breaking in upon their somewhat 
selfish hilarity, said : "Excuse me, but is not this Judge 

?" "Yes, ma'am," the man of the bench replied, 

a little startled and ashamed to acknowledge it under 
the circumstances. The old lady continued, "I thought 
so, and, Judge, it was you who sentenced my boy at 
Oshkosh, to State's prison for ten years, and it was that 
other man there that pleaded against him, and he died 
last year. Judge, in the penitentiary, and it was cards 
that led him to it. He was a good boy until he took to 
playing cards and going down to the village grocery, 
and at last I could do nothing with him. I know I 
ought not to be talking this way to you, but. Judge, if 
such as you only knew how much the young people are 
influenced by what they see you do, I don't think you 
would be handling those cards as you and these gentle- 
men are doing. They cost me my son." So they have 
cost thousands of parents their boys, and boys their 
manliness. They have been the turnkey which has 
opened the prison gate, the trap-door of the gallows, 
the instrument of many a suicide, and the decoy which 
has led many to eternal ruin. Therefore don't play cards. 



196 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

THE THEATRE, 

Don't go to the theatre. **What? Is there anything 
wrong in going to a theatre, and will it injure me?" 
Yes. It is a pleasure so dangerous in its tendencies, 
that good men for ages have denounced it. Long ago, 
Aristotle the philosopher opposed it, saying, ''The see- 
ing of comedians ought to be forbidden to young peo- 
ple, until age and discipline have made them proof 
against debauchery." Theodore L. Cuyler said, "It 
fascinates as the wine-cup fascinates, to draw young 
men into impure associations, and to destroy everything 
like healthy spiritual life." Edwin Booth, who was one 
of the greatest tragedians, remarked, "I would not be 
willing for my wife and daughter to attend a play unless 
I knew beforehand the character of the play and the ac- 
tors." And, where a lady cannot go, is it fit for a young 
gentleman? General Grant believed this, for he said, 
'T never go where I cannot take ladies. I don't care to 
go where ladies cannot go." 

"oh ! THAT THEATRE !" 

"Oh! that theatre!" said an agonized mother of a 
felon son, "he was a virtuous, kind youth till the thea- 
tre proved his ruin." Professor Knowles states that at 
a juvenile prison, it was ascertained that a large pro- 
portion of the boys began their careers in vice by steal- 
ing money to buy theatre tickets. A keeper of an- 
other juvenile prison in Boston gave testimony that of 
twenty young men confined for crime, seventeen con- 
fessed that they were first tempted to steal by a desire 
to purchase tickets to visit the theatre. Of fifteen young 
men from the country, employed in a publishing house 
in New York, thirteen within a few years were led to 
destruction by the play-houses. 

O, my boy, do as Bishop Vincent said when asked 
by a friend if he should go to such a place of amuse- 



Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 197 

ment, "Better not. Better not, because of its fascination 
which hinders rather than helps ; better not, because 
vice is often made to look like virtue; better not, be- 
cause of its many degraded actors and patrons, whose 
company one cannot afford to keep ; better not, because 
of the hours it consumes which could be more profitably 
utilized; better not, because of vulgar expressions fre- 
quently used ; better not, better not." 

THE DANCE. 

Don't go to the dance. "Why, the Bible itself de- 
fends this amusement," is frequently said. "Did not the 
Hebrews dance when they emerged from the Red Sea? 
Did not David dance before the ark? Was not Socra- 
tes taught it by Aspasia, and was it not held in venera- 
tion by Plato and other philosophers ?" Yes, but danc- 
ing, my boy, was much different in Bible times than it 
is to-day. It was because of deliverances from or a 
victory over an enemy. No case but one is found in 
the Bible where promiscuous dancing was indulged in, 
and that is called "the wicked dance." Ever since the 
daughter of Herodias danced off the head of John the 
Baptist, it has degenerated ; and as Cicero addressed a 
grave reproach to consul Gabinus for having danced, 
so would the writer sound the danger trumpet with 
the words : "Beware ! Beware !" 

When Moscow was burning, the historian tells us, a 
party was dancing in the palace right over a gunpow- 
der magazine of which they were ignorant. The 
flames came on, and Carnot said, "Let us have one 
dance more," and they shouted all through the palace, 
"One dance more!" The music played, the feet 
bounded, the laughter rang. But suddenly, through the 
smoke and fire and thunder of the explosion, death and 
eternity broke in. "One dance more" has been the ruin 
of many a young man, the deathblow of many a good 



198 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

reputation, the cause of many a jealousy which ended 
in crime and the murderer of many a virtue which bid 
fair to distinguish the noble youth. 

BE CAREFUL. 

O, my boy, be careful of your amusements. If there 
is a tendency to injure the morals, shun them as a plague. 
Orange trees cannot live and bear fruit in Labrador, 
neither can piety thrive amidst frivolities and liberties 
which attack modesty of person and honesty of pur- 
pose. Shun amusements if they are indulged in for 
mere killing of time. 

"Time is eternity, 
Pregnant with all eternity can give, 
Pregnant with all that makes archangels smile. 
Who murders time, he crushes in the birth 
A power ethereal, only not adorned." 

Murillo, a Spanish painter, left a wonderful painting 
which represents a monk in his cell writing. He had 
been engaged in writing his life, but before he had com- 
pleted it, death summoned him to the eternal world. 
He pleaded to return, and the legend says that he was 
permitted a certain period to complete his autobiogra- 
phy. The famous Spanish artist seized the moment 
when the monk, seated at the table, resumes his toil. 
The intensity of feeling thrown into the wan, ghastly 
face, and into the lips which had talked with death, 
and into the eyes that had looked in on eternity, and 
the tremendous energy with which he writes, all por- 
tray to us the knowledge and the value of time: time 
limited by the all-powerful command. And, as Schil- 
ler truthfully puts it: 

''The moments we forego 
Eternity itself cannot retrieve." 



Be Cautious of Baneful Amusements 199 

Shun amusements if they have a tendency to injure 
health. Health is the greatest fortune one can possess. 
Without it, all joy, all comfort, all pomp is but mock- 
ery. ^'Riches are useless, honor and attendants are 
cumbersome, and crowns themselves are a burden," 
"for life is not to live, but to be well." To take care of 
one's health is one of the hrst requirements of nature. 
This -cannot be accomplished by staying up late at night, 
by intemperate eating and drinking, by being out in all 
kinds of weather, by wilful neglect of proper clothing, 
which various amusements incur. 

ENJOY YOURSELF. 

Enjoy yourself, my boy. "To dry up the fountains of 
mirth that are within, to crush out the spontaneous im- 
pulses of merriment which are a part of our complete 
life, is a crime against nature. Life will have sorrows 
enough without making ourselves chronically cheer- 
less. The right of enjoyment is a divine right, and 
should be lawfully used and enjoyed. Not only that, 
but it is invigorating. "All work and no play makes 
Jack a dull boy." Running is good exercise, the bat and 
ball strengthen the arm and gauge the eye, the oar and 
boat broaden the chest and make the liberated lungs beat 
with life, and not a few others, if not too greatly 
indulged, prove helpful rather than detrimental. 

Counsel yourself when invited to join in some pleas- 
ure : "What will this amusement do for my physical 
development? Is there any gymnastic exercise con- 
nected with it? What will it do for my intellectual en- 
lightenment? What will it do for the improvement of 
my morals? Will it make me purer, nobler, better? 
Will it increase piety, make me more useful to society, 
increase my happiness and benefit my associates?" If 
it will, then indulge in it, if not, discard it. 

A story is told of two men who were mowing in 



200 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

company. The one in advance thought he saw a hor- 
net's nest just ahead, and he cautiously paused. The 
other pooh-poohed his fears and mowed right on ex- 
claiming, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but 
the righteous are bold as a lion." But pretty soon he 
struck the nest and was fighting the hornets that as- 
sailed him, whereupon the first, who also had a knack 
of quoting proverbs, exclaimed, 'The prudent man 
foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass 
on and are punished." The prudent man had the best 
of it as he always does. Other gifts and attainments, 
however ample and varied, are negatived and neutral- 
ized without it, therefore in all pleasures be discreet. 

''It is sad 
To think how few our pleasures really are; 
And for the which we risk eternal good.'' 

And, as Pope wrote, 

"Pleasures, wrong or rightly understood, 
Our greatest evil, or our greatest good." 



CHAPTER XVIII 
Be Chary of Bad Books 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XVIII 
By Anthony Comstock 

IN the heart of every boy is a "Chamber of Imag- 
ery." Practically speaking, this is Memory's 
storehouse, the "Commissary Department of 
thought," "the Hall of Entertainment." Bad books, 
foul pictures and criminal stories are used by the spirit 
of evil to decorate the walls of this Chamber of Imag- 
ery. When once there comes through the doors of this 
chamber (eye and ear) either one of these influences for 
evil, the looms of Imagination and Fancy (the reimag- 
ing and reproductive faculties of the mind) are started 
in motion and then the Chamber of Imagery becomes 
the Hall of Entertainment. Charmed by pictures cre- 
ated by Imagination and Fancy a boy soon becomes a 
day-dreamer and castle-builder. Led on by these de- 
basing allurements he soon develops into a full-fledged 
criminal. Thoughts are the aliment upon which the 
mind feeds. If pure and holy, they are like fertilizing 
currents flowing through the soul, enriching, ennobling 
and beautifying character and life. If impure, sensa- 
tional and sensual, they are equally degrading, demor- 
alizing and deadly in their influence. It is as important 
that Imagination and Fancy have pure m.aterial to work 
with, as that a stream shall originate in a fountain free 
from deadly poison. "Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God." The heart cannot be pure if the 
thoughts are defiled. 



202 (J 



CHAPTER XVIII 
Be Chary of Bad Books 

IT is only about four hundred years since the first 
book was issued from the press. Between 1450 
and 1455 Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing 
press, succeeded in publishing the first copy of the 
Bible, but he was compelled to make the initial letters of 
the chapters with the pen. As the years passed, many 
improvements were made, until now, more than twenty- 
five thousand books are published annually. 

Books are wonderful things. They are companions 
and teachers. For their authors they cost much 
thought, time and expense; for the reader they are 
cheap and helpful. They carry the mind fast and safe 
the world over. 'Tn the twinkling of an eye one can be 
exploring with Livingstone in Africa, or campaigning 
with Napoleon or Grant. One can meditate with So- 
crates, conspire with Cataline, steal the Stratford deer 
with Will Shakespeare, swim the Hellespont with By- 
ron, weigh the earth with Newton, and climb the 
heavens with Herschel." 

There being such an abundance of literary works, 
the question often arises, 'What should a boy read? 
Would it be wise to read everything that comes into 
his hands?" By no means. To eat all kinds of food, 
suitable or otherwise, would be sure to create disease. 
There are the "scavengers" among animals, but there 
should not be such among readers. To read everything 

203 



204 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

would be most injurious. Good judgment should be 
exercised in selecting the quality of books read and no 
less in the quantity perused. There are books, which, 
if read, would poison thought, corrupt morals and per- 
chance blast the prospects of the future. On the other 
hand, there are books which stimulate the mind, 
strengthen the morals, comfort the heart and prepare 
the life for usefulness and success. 

GOOD BOOKS. 

Good books are a blessing to everyone. The princi- 
ples they inculcate, the lessons they exhibit, the ideals 
of life and character they portray, stamp themselves in- 
delibly upon the mind and habits of the reader. ''Give 
a man a taste for good books and the means of gratify- 
ing it," said Sir John Herschel, "and you can hardly 
fail of making him a: happy man. You place him in con- 
tact with the best society in every period of history, 
with the wisest, the wittiest, the tenderest, the bravest 
and the purest characters who have adorned humanity. 
You make him a denizen of all nations, a contemporary 
of all ages." "A good book," said Milton, "is the 
precious life-blood of a master spirit embalmed and 
treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." 'Tn the 
best books," said Dr. Channing, "great men talk to us, 
with us, and give us their most precious thoughts. 
Books are the voices of the distant and the dead. Books 
are the true leaders, they give to all who will faithfully 
use them, the society and the presence of the best and 
the greatest of our race. No matter how poor I am, 
no matter though the prosperity of my own time will 
not enter my obscure dwelling, if learned men and 
poets will enter and take up their abode under my roof, 
if Milton will cross my threshold to sing to me of 
Paradise, and Shakespeare open to me the world of im- 
agination and the workings of the human heart, and 



Be Chary of Bad Books 205 

Franklin enrich me with his practical wisdom, I shall 
not pine for want of intellectual companionship, and I 
may become a cultivated man, though excluded from 
what is called the best society in the place where I live." 

It was through reading Cotton Mather's ''Essays to 
Do Good" that Benjamin Franklin when a boy was in- 
fluenced to be good and do good. Said he, "If I have 
been a useful citizen the public owes all the advantage 
of it to this little book." William Carey was induced 
to become a missionary to India by reading "Cook's 
Voyage Around the World." Adoniram Judson be- 
came a missionary to the East Indies by reading Bu- 
chanan's "Star in the East." Richard Baxter became 
a Christian and minister by reading a book called "The 
Bruised Reed," given him by a man who was staying at 
his father's home. Baxter wrote "A Call to the Un- 
converted," which influenced the life of Philip Dodd- 
ridge. Doddridge wrote, "The Rise and Progress of 
Religion in the Soul," which was the means of the con- 
version of Wilberforce. Wilberforce in return secured 
the abolition of slavery in the West Indies, and wrote 
"A Practical View of Christianity," which did much 
to commend spiritual religion to the higher classes 
of his countrymen, and which led not only Dr. Chal- 
mers into the truth, but Leigh Richmond to Christ. 
Richmond wrote "The Dairyman's Daughter," which 
has been published in a hundred languages and of 
which over five million copies have been sold. All this 
resulted from "The Bruised Reed," written by an un- 
known Puritan minister named Sibbs. 

Foreign readers of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech and 
his second inaugural address, asked, "Whence got this 
man his style, seeing he knows nothing of literature?" 
In his boyhood Lincoln had access to four books, the 
Bible, "Pilgrim's Progress," Burns' Poems, and Weems' 
"Life of Washington." He so memorized many of the 



2o6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

chapters of the Bible that subsequently he seldom made 
a speech at the bar or on the "stump" in which he did 
not quote from it. The secret of his literary beauty 
and ability was his knowledge of the English Bible 
and Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," two books which 
represent the rhythm, the idiom, the majesty, and the 
power of the English language. 

"All Sorts and Conditions of Men," written by Sir 
Walter Besant, was the means of the erection of a 
"People's Palace" in East London. The subtitle of 
the book was "An Impossible Story." It presents 
the hard life of the people of the crowded East End of 
London, and tells, in the form of a novel, of the ideals 
and ambitions of a young mechanic who has had a bet- 
ter education than his fellows, and used it for their 
advantage. Through his efforts, as related in the 
book, a great central building, a "People's Palace," 
is erected in the East End, where the social life of the 
people can express itself; where they can study and 
read, see fine paintings, hear good music, have their 
games and athletic sports, and, in general, meet life 
on a hig'her plane than is possible in their own unat- 
tractive homes. To-day that "Palace" stands as an 
evidence of the dreamer's dream in which and through 
which, the public gain knowledge and recreation. 
Surely the influence of one good book is marvellous. 

BAD BOOKS. 

Bad books are numerous. They force themselves 
upon us everywhere, tempting by their cheapness, al- 
luring by their colored illustrations, and injuring by 
their teaching. Possibly, few agencies are working 
more mental and moral havoc among boys than cor- 
rupt books. Once allow the mind to be absorbed by 
their evil influence and the feelings and passions are 
driven to and fro by the whirlwind of a purposeless life. 



Be Chary of Bad Books 207 

On one occasion a gentleman in India went into his 
library and took down a book. As he did so, he felt 
a slight pain in one of his fingers. He thought a pin 
had been stuck by some careless person in the cover 
of his book. But soon the finger began to swell, then 
his arm and then his whole body, and in a few days he 
died. On investigation it was found that a small ser- 
pent had hidden itself among the books. If there is 
one thing more than another that will poison the mind 
with the venom of evil, it is impure literature, against 
which every boy should set his heart like flint, whether 
it comes in the form of a daily newspaper, a pictorial 
periodical or a book. It is as deadly as a serpent. 

Fichte, the noted German philosopher, was once 
reading a ''blood-and-thunder" story, when, in the 
midst of it, he said: *'Now this will never do. I get 
too excited over it. I can't study so well after, so here 
goes/' and he flung the book into the river. That was 
a wise act. Talmage states that the assassin of Sir 
William Russell declared he got the inspiration of 
his crime by reading what was then a new and popular 
novel, "J^ck Sheppard." Alexis Piron, the French 
poet and satirist, sought for many years to obtain a 
seat among the Forty Immortals in the French Acad- 
emy. He was recognized among the poets of his day, 
and was confident of his ultimate admission, when a 
vile ode, written when he was a boy, was brought to 
light, and he knew that the door of the Academy was 
forever closed in his face. ^'Twenty-five years ago," 
said Rev. John James, "a lad loaned me an infamous 
book. He would loan it only for fifteen minutes and 
then I had to give it back, but that book has haunted me 
like a spectre ever since. I have in agony of soul, on 
my knees before God, prayed that He would obliterate 
the memory of it, but I shall carry the damage of it 
until the day of my death." 'T remember well when I 



2o8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

was not more than twelve years of age," said Dr. 
Leonard, ''that I was shown a book — a vile book — by 
a German shoemaker. He came through the region of 
country where I lived, and the pictures that were in 
that book are now in my mind to-night as clearly as 
when I first looked upon them. Other pictures of 
beauty have faded, but somehow those have remained ; 
I have said I will turn that picture away from my 
memory and won't think of it again ; yet, as often as I 
think of that German shoemaker, that vile book stands 
out again before my mind." 

Not long ago, a young man in Indiana committed 
suicide. He ascribed his downfall to the influence of 
"the vilest kind of novels. If good books had been 
furnished me," he said, "and no bad ones, I should 
have read the good books with as great zest as I did 
the bad ones. Persuade all persons over whom you 
have an influence not to read novels." Such was his 
parting message to his brother. "This is not self- 
murder. If thine eye offend thee pluck it out. If thy 
life offend thee, give it back to Him who gave it to 
thee. I ask that this cross be put on my breast in my 
grave. Bury me in this holy robe." Such was the let- 
ter of Master Grosse, the nineteen-year-old son of an 
English clergyman, who committed suicide after read- 
ing Marie Corelli's "Mighty Atom." This was the 
second death by self-destruction caused by reading the 
book. In like manner not a few have destroyed them- 
selves through the false teaching of infidel books. 
O the wretchedness, the misery, the sorrows that the 
reading of bad books brings. Spurn them, for they are 
deadly things. 

WHAT TO READ. 

"What shall I read?" may be a question asked in 
this connection. Emerson said : "Never read a book 
that is not a year old. Never read any but famed 



Be Chary of Bad Books 209 

books. Read only what you like, or, in Shakespeare's 
famous phrase: 

'No profit goes where is no pleasure ta'en; 
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.' " 

The value of a book consists not in what it will do 
for one's amusement, but for one's edification. Boys 
are generally more easily persuaded to read fictitious 
books because there is something captivating about 
them. Some had better not be read, while others which 
are amusing may be helpful. Abbot's Histories, 
Scribner's ''Library of Wonder," and "Library of 
Travel," "Aesop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe," "Peas- 
ant and Prince," "The Tale of Two Brothers," "Paul 
and Virginia," "The Vicar of Wakefield," Scott's "Tales 
of a Grandfather," the Indian tales of Fenimore 
Cooper, the fascinating character stories of Dickens, 
and many others, are all suitable to read. They will 
stimulate the fancy, enlarge the sympathies and im- 
prove the taste. 

There are biographies of great and noble men. They 
will arouse the spirit, instruct the mind and influence 
the life. "The good life," says George Herbert, "is 
never out of season." Every boy should read such 
lives as Washington, Lincoln, Grant, and the lives of 
great statesmen, lawyers, poets and ministers. 

Nothing will give a clearer insight of the past with 
its events and characters, manners and law, trades and 
industries, modes of government and conditions of peo- 
ple than history. A few good histories like Thalhei- 
mer's "Manual of Ancient History," Macaulay's "His- 
tory of the World," Gibbon's magnificent drama of the 
"Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," and Rid- 
path's "History of the United States," bring all the 
world with its pleasures and sufferings and everything 
inspired with living reality before us. 

Then there is poetry. The world's highest wisdom, 
14 



2IO Stepping Stones to Manhood 

its profoundest truths and its best philosophy appear in 
poetic language. Leigh Hunt said, "It is the breath 
of beauty, flowing around the spiritual world, as the 
winds that wake up the flowers do about the material." 
Plato asserts that ''poetry comes nearer the vital truth 
than history." Scarcely do we find a volume of impure 
stanzas. "Only that is poetry which cleanses and mans 
me," wrote Emerson. Milton is said to have regard- 
ed himself as inspired in the conception and produc- 
tion of "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained." The 
poet Cowper was a man with consecrated heart. His epi- 
taph reads : "His virtues formed the magic of his song." 
Wordsworth's poems are medicine. Bryant interprets 
nature in her loftiest thoughts and feelings. Long- 
fellow speaks for the holiest affections. Whittier sounds 
the bugle charges against every wrong, waking the 
memory of happy olden days with their attendant, fa- 
miliar faces Holmes bubbles over with humor and 
laughter. All these and many more become our best 
friends and teachers. There is also the philosophical, 
which every boy should grapple — Locke's "Human 
Understanding," Porter's "Intellectual Science," and 
Haven's "Ancient and Modern Philosophy." Grapple 
with scientific books, such as Hugh Miller's Geology, 
Johnson's "Chemistry of Common Life." In fact, in the 
language of Tulloch, "Whether you read history or 
poetry, science or theology, or even fiction of a worthy 
kind, it will prove a mental discipline and bring in- 
crease of wisdom." 

HOW SHALL I READ? 

"Read not," says Bacon, "to contradict and confront, 
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and 
discourse, but to weigh and consider." Carlyle ex- 
pressed the same thought when he said, "Pursue your 
studies in the way your conscience calls honest. More 
and more endeavor to do that." Read with care, not 



I 



Be Chary of Bad Books 211 

with a half-mechanical glancing over the pages as we 
would look over a map or listen to the instructor while 
the mind is playing hide-and-seek with floating day- 
dreams. Read with regularity. Have a definite 
time if possible, when no one will be likely to 
obtrude. Select some line of knowledge both in- 
teresting and useful, and read with the intention 
of acquiring a thorough understanding of it. When 
finishing a chapter, take a mental review and 
if not able to give an outline of it, read it over again. 
By so doing, one cultivates a retentive memory. Should 
anything of importance present itself, underline it. Sir 
William Hamilton underscored. Cardinal Newman 
wrote in the margin of his books a statement of his own 
views upon the paragraph he read. Gladstone always 
read with pencil in hand, marking on the margin those 
passages he wished to remember, questioning those 
about which he was in doubt, and putting a cross oppo- 
site those he disputed. In reading, use a dictionary to 
aid in pronouncing and defining large or unknown 
words. If possible, read aloud. It aids enunciation and 
leads to a mastery of inflection. Above all, make it 
your business, my boy, to extract the honey from what 
you read. Read for mental sustenance. Read so as to 
know how to live, speak and act, or read not at all. 

An old pilot was once asked if he knew where all 
the rocks were along the line of travel. There is a 
world of wisdom in his answer: *'I do not need to 
know where all the rocks are; it is enough for me to 
know where the rocks are not, and keep in the free 
channel." By reading good books one avoids those 
dangers to morals which lurk in so much of the liter- 
ature of the day. By it, he becomes wiser, happier, 
nobler, esteeming the words and thoughts of those 
whose presence may never more be appreciated by 
mortal man. Though dead, they yet speak. 



CHAPTER XIX 
Be Attentive to Details 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XIX 
By Lyman J. Gage 

IT has often been said that, if a man conceives the 
idea of becoming eminent in learning, and can- 
not toil through the million little drudgeries nec- 
essary to carry him on, his learning will soon be 
told. Or, if he undertakes to become rich, but despises 
the small and gradual advances by which wealth is ordi- 
narily acumulated, his expectations will, of course, be 
the sum of riches. 

All successful men have been remarkable, not only 
for general scope and vigor, but for their minute at- 
tention to details. Attention to details has for its re- 
sult a "hitting of the mark," a realization of our aims. 
Hap-hazard methods result in confusion, disorder and 
defeat. 




214 



CHAPTER XIX 

Be Attentive to Details 

TO be successful a boy needs, as Arthur Helps 
said, ''an almost ignominious love of detail." 
To dream is not sufficient, he must learn to do, 
and in doing pay special attention to every part. 
A judge in Cincinnati wanted a rough fence built. When 
the carpenter came he said to him, "I want this fence 
mended. There are some unplaned boards, use them. 
It is out of sight from the house, so you need not take 
time to make a neat job. I can only pay you a dollar 
and a half." On looking at it later the judge found the 
boards planed and the work finished with excellent 
neatness. The judge, thinking the young man had 
done it that he might claim more pay, said somewhat an- 
grily, *T told you this fence was to be covered with 
vines. I do not care how it looks." 'T do," said the 
carpenter. ''How much do you charge?" asked the 
judge. "A dollar and a half," said the man. "Why 
did you spend all that labor on it, if not for the money ?" 
"For the job, sir." "Nobody would have seen the poor 
work on it." "But I should have known it was there, 
sir. No, I'll only take the dollar and a half," and he 
went his way. Ten years later this carpenter was the 
successful competitor for a great contract the judge had 
to give, successful among a crowd of others seeking it. 
"I knew," said the judge, telling the story afterwards, 
"we should have only good, genuine work from him ; 
I gave him the contract, and it made a rich man of 

him." 

215 



2i6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

WHAT YOU DO, DO WELL. 

Whatever is worth engaging one's interest and ener- 
gies is worth doing well. Longworth remarked, "I have 
always had two things before me. Do what you un- 
dertake thoroughly. Be faithful in all accepted trusts." 
William Grey, the celebrated Boston merchant, once 
censured a mechanic for some slovenly work, where- 
upon the latter, who had known Mr. Grey as a drum- 
mer in a regiment, slurred him for it. ''And so I was," 
replied Mr. Grey, "so I was. But, didn't I drum well?" 
During a debate in Congress some years ago, a member 
of aristocratic birth replying to an opponent said, 
''When we were boys, he used to black my boots.'* 
"And didn't I black them well ?" asked the other. "Yes, 
I must say in justice to the gentleman that he was called 
the best bootblack in town." "Thank you, and let me 
add that is why I am here. I always tried to do as well 

as I could. If the member from , who taunts me 

with my lowly origin, had begun life as a bootblack, I 
fear that he would have been a bootblack still." 

It is said that the late Josiah Quincy was at one time 
conversing with Daniel Webster upon the importance 
of doing even the smallest things thoroughly and well, 
when the great man related an incident concerning a 
petty insurance case which was brought to him while a 
young lawyer. The fee promised was only twenty dol- 
lars, yet to do his client full justice, Webster found 
he must journey to Boston and consult the law library. 
This involved an expense of about the same amount 
as his fee; but after hesitating a little, he decided to 
go to Boston and consult the authorities, let the cost 
be what it might. He gained the case. Years after 
this, Webster was passing through the city of New 
York. An important insurance case was to be tried 
that day, and one of the counsel had been suddenly pros- 
trated by illness. Money was no object, and Webster 



Be Attentive to Details 217 

was asked to name his terms and conduct the case. "It 
is. preposterous," he said, *'to expect me to prepare a 
legal argument at a few hours' notice." But when they 
insisted that he should look at the papers he consented. 
It was his old, twenty-dollar case over again, and hav- 
ing a remarkable memory, he had all the authorities in 
his mind, and he took the case and won it. The court 
knew he had had no time for preparation, and was as- 
tonished at the skill with which he handled the case. 
"So, you see," said Webster, as he concluded, "I was 
handsomely paid, both in fame and money, for that 
journey to Boston." 

To do well anything that is to be done is a test of 
power, a proof of efficiency, a criterion of character 
and a sure way to promotion. Just as the usefulness 
and value of a stamp depends on its ability to stick, so 
concentration of interest and effort is the boy's only se- 
cret of success. A burning glass becomes powerful 
only when focalized on one object, and a boy becomes 
master of the situation only when he bends mind and 
body to each detail, never yielding to doubt or discour- 
agement. 

LITTLES PRODUCE MUCH. 

Great achievements, massive structures, successful 
inventions are composed of little things. The steam en- 
gine is a wonderful machine, but it consists of more 
than six thousand pieces of metal. The huge "chalk 
cliffs of Albion" were built by insects so small as to be 
only seen with the help of the microscope. The book 
we admire is made up of individual letters. The river 
is formed of many rivulets, and life consists not in 
great but numerous little things. A great man once 
wore a coat of arms which told the secret of his suc- 
cess. It was a mountain at whose base was a work- 
man with coat off and a pickaxe in his hand, with which 



2i8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

he was picking at the mountain. His motto was : ''Lit- 
tle by Httle." The importance of Httle things is the only 
criterion of admission to larger ones. Webster's fa- 
mous reply to Hayne was made up largely of little re- 
serves which he had picked up here and there in his 
reading, from studying men, and from observation. 
''Great, without small, makes a bad wall," says a Greek 
proverb. Ammi the Arabian said to his son, "Bring 
me the fruit of that tree." Then he said, "Break it 
open: what do you see?" "Some seeds," the boy re- 
plied. "Break one open; what do you see?" "Noth- 
ing," he answered. "Where you see nothing," said his 
father, "there dwells a mighty tree." It's the little 
things that make up character and prepare one's des- 
tiny. 

NEGLECT OF LITTLE THINGS. 

"Neglect of little things," said Samuel Smiles, "has 
ruined many fortunes and marred the best of enter- 
prises." What may be of "little consequence" may 
prove to be disastrous. The ship which bore homeward 
the merchant's treasure was lost because it was al- 
lowed to leave the port from which it sailed with a very 
little hole in the bottom. "For want of a nail, the shoe 
of the aide-de-camp's horse was lost; for want of the 
shoe, the horse was lost; for want of the horse, the 
aide-de-camp was lost ; for the enemy took and killed 
him; and for the want of the aide-de-camp's intelli- 
gence, the army of his general was lost; all because a 
little nail had not been properly fixed in the horse's 
shoe !" 

When Conova was about to commence his famous 
statue of the great Napoleon he detected a tiny red 
line running through the upper portion of the splendid 
block that at great cost had been brought from Paros. 
What did he do? Work on it? No, he refused to lay 



Be Attentive to Details 219 

a chisel upon it. In the early struggles of the elder 
Herschel, while working out the problem of gigantic 
telescopic specula, he made scores upon scores before 
he got one to satisfy him. On that one he found a 
scratch like a spider thread which caused him to reject 
it, although he had spent weeks of toil upon it. 

LITTLE THINGS. 

Moments are little things, yet upon them much of the 
future depends. Important affairs, well laid plans, for- 
tunes and comforts are frequently sacrificed by negli- 
gence of the moments. Lord Chesterfield, writing to 
his son, said, "Every moment you now lose, is so much 
character and advantage lost, as on the other hand, 
every moment you now employ usefully, is so much 
time wisely laid out, at prodigious interest." Henry 
Martyn won the honorable distinction of "the man who 
never wasted an hour;" while the famous remark of 
Horace Mann, was, "Lost, yesterday, somewhere be- 
tween sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set 
with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for 
they are gone forever." 

A condemned man was being led to execution. He 
had taken the life of another under circumstances of 
the greatest provocation, and public sympathy was ac- 
tive in his behalf. Thousands had signed petitions for 
a reprieve, a favorable answer had been expected the 
night before, and though it had not come, even the 
sheriff felt confident that it would arrive in season. 
Thus the morning passed without the appearance of 
the messenger. The last moment was up. The pris- 
oner took his place on the drop, the cap was drawn over 
his eyes, the bolt was drawn, and a lifeless body swung 
revolving in the wind. Just at that moment a horseman 
came into sight, galloping down hill, his steed covered 
with foam. He carried a packet in his right hand, 



220 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

which he waved frantically to the crowd. He was the 
express rider with the reprieve. But he had come too 
late. A comparatively innocent man had died an igno- 
minious death because a watch had been five minutes 
too slow, making its bearer behind time. 

LITTLE WORDS. 

The alphabet is composed of letters. Letters consti- 
tute words, and words framed into sentences consti- 
tute books. Because a word is small it does not fol- 
low it is not important. Several of the smallest in 
the English language are the most important. Should 
a lawyer in making a deed omit some little words he 
might involve his client in litigation and perhaps sub- 
ject him to the loss of his property. Two smaller, yet 
greater, words are not used than "yes" and "no." They 
are decisive and conclusive, and as such every boy 
should learn to use them correctly. They are the 
words of courage, moral and physical ; they are chival- 
ric, knightly words. On occasions of supreme mo- 
ment, when destiny awaits decision, they expand to 
sublime proportions. "Yes" to the right, "no" to the 
wrong. 

Of all words hard to say, doubtless "no" is the 
hardest. Of William McKinley, Henry B. F. Macfar- 
land wrote, "He could say no, as positively as he could 
say it pleasantly." Some one wrote of a boy who had 
stamina enough to say "no" when necessary: 

"Somebody asked me to take a drink. 
What did I tell him? What do you think? 
I told him, 'No!' 

Somebody asked me one day to play 
'A game of cards; and what did I say? 
I told him, 'No!* 



Be Attentive to Details 221 

Somebody laughs that I will not szvear 
And lie and steal, hut I do not care. 
I told him, 'No !' 

Somebody asked me to take a sail 
On the Sabbath day; 'twas of no avail. 
I told him, 'No !' 

'If sinners entice thee, consent thou not' 
My Bible said; and so on the spot 
I told him. 'Nor' 

LITTLE PENNIES. 

A penny may not count for much, but one hundred 
make a dollar, and a dollar saved is a dollar made. 
Too many young men of the day imagine they 
cannot be manly without spending freely what they 
make. Careful saving and careful spending pro- 
mote success, for "wilful waste makes woful want." 
John Jacob Astor said that the saving of the first thou- 
sand dollars cost him the hardest struggle. "It is not," 
wrote Philip Armour, "what a man earns but what he 
saves that makes him rich. I deem it of the highest 
importance to impress upon every young man the duty 
of beginning to save from the moment he commences 
to earn, be it ever so little. A habit so formed in early 
life will prove of incalculable benefit to him in after 
years, not only in the amount acquired, but through the 
exercise of economy in small affairs he will grow in 
knowledge and fitness for larger duties that may de- 
volve upon him." "My advice," said Enoch Pratt, the 
Baltimore millionaire and founder of the Institute that 
bears his name, "to a young man just starting in life, 
is to take good care of your health, shun all bad habits, 
and save at least $1 out of every $5 you earn and imme- 
diately get that $1 out at interest. Few people have any 



222 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

idea of the rapidity with which money at interest 
grows, and there is no better, safer way to get it out at 
interest than to buy some small piece of real estate that 
is improved and pays rent sufficient to yield a surplus 
that will pay the taxes ; the interest on the mortgage 
you will have to give and something on the principal 
each year." 

"Know when to spend and when to spare. 
And when to buy, and thou shalt ne'er he bare." 

LITTLE ACTS. 

When the air balloon was first invented, someone 
asked Franklin what was the use of it. He replied by 
asking another question: "What is the use of a new- 
born infant ?" ''It may become a man," was the signifi- 
cant reply. So little acts may lead to great results, 
opening the door of opportunities to greater achieve- 
ments. Baron James de Rothschild once posed as a 
beggar for Ary Scheffer. While the great financier, 
attired in the rags of a beggar, was in his place on the 
estrade, a correspondent of a French paper entered the 
studio. The Baron was so perfectly disguised that he 
was not recognized, and, believing that a veritable beg- 
gar was before him, the newspaper man slipped a louis 
into his hand. The pictured model took the coin and 
put it into his pocket. Ten years later the correspon- 
dent received at his residence an order on the office in 
the Rue Lafitte for ten thousand francs, enclosed in the 
following letter : 

One day you gave a louis to Baron Rothschild in the 
studio of Ary Scheifer. He has employed it, and to- 
day sends you the little capital with which you en'- 
trusted him, together with its interest. A good action 
always brings good fortune. 

Baron James de Rothschild. 



Be Attentive to Details 223 

My boy, the motto of this rich man is certainly true. 
One cannot show the smallest kindness, render 
the smallest assistance, attend to the smallest de- 
tail without profit to himself and to others. "1 
discovered the principle by the merest accident," 
said Edison to a friend who asked him how he discov- 
ered the phonograph. "I was singing to the mouth- 
piece of a telephone, when the vibrations of the voice 
sent the fine steel point into my finger. That set me to 
thinking. If I could record the actions of the point and 
send the point over the same surface afterward, I saw 
no reason why the thing would not talk. I tried the 
experiment first on a strip of telegraph paper, and 
found that the point made an alphabet. I shouted the 
word 'Halloa !' and 'Halloa !' came in return. I de- 
termined to make a machine that would work accu- 
rately. That's the whole story. The phonograph is 
the result of the pricking of a finger." 

While this may seem very simple, my boy, do not 
overlook the fact that Mr. Edison discovered it by pay- 
ing attention to little things. *Ts it not the little 
things," asks William Matthews, "that, in the aggre- 
gate, make up whatever is great? Is it not the countless 
grains of sand that make the beach, the trees that form 
the forest, the successive strata of rock that compose 
the mountains, the myriads of almost imperceptible 
stars that whiten the heavens with the Milky Way? 
And of what is human happiness made up, but of little 
things?" Of General Thomas it was said: "He was 
careful in all the details of a battle." So in home du- 
ties, school work, business interests, yea, in everything 
you have to do, do well. Resolve — 

''If any little words of mine 
May make a life the brighter, 
If any little song of mine 

May make a heart the lighter — 



224 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

God help me speak the little word, 
And take my hit of singing, 

And drop it in some lonely vale. 
To set the echoes ringing! 

"If any little love of mine 

May make a life the sweeter, 
If any little care of mine 

May make a friend's the Ueeter, 
If any little lift may ease 

The burden of another, 
God give me love, and care, and strength, 

To help my toiling brother," 



CHAPTER XX 
Be Patriotic 



15 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XX 
By John Clark Ridpath 

PATRIOTISM is the first and best of the civic 
virtues. It involves more than any of the rest. 
It involves country, race, nation, kindred, insti- 
tutions, associations, fellowships, the kindest of 
all that man creates and the best of all he hopes in this 
life. 

Patriotism is broad, almost universal. It is not a 
mere local attachment that knows some particular 
place or section, some country or State, some North or 
South, some peculiar ancestral stock, but rather our 
whole country, our native land to its remotest border, 
our nation, great as native land, our Union over all 
and our flag as our emblem. 

Patriotism claims no mountain slope, no river bank, 
no range of hills, no village or town or city, but rather 
lifts the eye to a great continent, reclaimed from bar- 
barism and illumined with the light of a Christian 
civilization. He who cherishes such a patriotism in his 
heart and feels its inspiration in the battle of life will 
have little cause to fear the onset or doubt the certain 
victory. 




CHAPTER XX 
Be Patriotic 

FOR centuries nations have employed patriotic 
songs to inspire courage and love of country. 
France has long sung her ''Marseillaise," Nor- 
way the *'Song of the Battle Axe," England, 
'*God Save the King," but the best of all is our na- 
tional hymn : 

'^My country, 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 

Of thee I sing. 
Land where my fathers died, 
Land of the pilgrim s pride; 
From every mountain side 
Let freedom ring." 

The United States is a name, a synonym for great- 
ness, richness and beauty. Precious memories are clus- 
tered about it. Great names are associated with it. Its 
praise is eulogized in lyric song, applauded in legis- 
lative halls, inscribed on gorgeous banners, lisped by 
juvenile tongues and honored by all nations. 

In the year 1820 Sydney Smith, of England, asked the 
famous questions, *Tn the four quarters of the globe 
who reads an American book ? or looks at an American 
picture, or statue? What new constellations have been 
discovered by the telescopes of Americans ? What have 
they done in mathematics? Who drinks out of Amer- 

227 



228 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ican glasses? or eats from American plates? or wears 
American coats or gowns ? or sleeps in American blank- 
ets ?" If Sydney Smith had lived a half-century longer 
he would have found the food-stuffs, clothing, litera- 
ture, inventions, gold and influence of *'this self-adu- 
lating race," controlling the markets of the world more 
than any other, America has invaded the business cen- 
tres of every nation, has set a pace in civilization and 
evangelization that few can maintain, has become a 
peace factor among the warlike people of all continents 
and in most everything, as Herbert Spencer said of our 
mechanical appliances, is ''ahead of all nations." 

SIZE AND BEAUTY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The United States is more than three times the size 
of Great Britain and Ireland, France and Germany, 
Italy and Austria, Spain and Portugal, Switzerland, 
Denmark and Greece. Though among the youngest 
of the family of nations, its territorial area exceeds that 
of Rome when its empire was mightiest. Although its 
population is less than that of some smaller countries, 
it has an area of land more than a dozen times as large, 
and in the coming future the ''Bad Lands" of the Da- 
kotas, and the great "Columbian Plains" of Washing- 
ton will be adorned with towns and cities, and what are 
now barren places will be changed into veritable Edens. 

The United States is not only the largest, but it is 
the most beautiful and richest country of the world. 
Its mountain peaks crowned with ice-jewels are as 
beautiful as those of Switzerland. Its valleys are not 
exceeded by the valley of the Nile. Its shores equal 
India's coral strand. Its towering hills are stored with 
an abundance of iron and copper, enough to supply the 
nations of the globe. Its prairies are the granaries of 
the world. Its bowels are full of oil that seems inex- 
haustible, and its coal, silver and gold mines are of in- 



Be Patriotic 229 

estimable value. The inscription once drilled in the 
rock on the shore of Monument Bay is now becoming 
a fact because of these many things : 

''The Eastern nations sink, their glory ends. 
An empire rises where the sun descends." 

The United States stands unique in the history of 
civil governments and has illustrated more than any 
other constitutional freedom in all its beneficence, 
power and grandeur. "Nowhere else has government 
so ennobled man, so elevated woman, so inspired its 
young men with heroism and ambition, so helped them 
in their aims in life, so made citizenship glorious by 
the expansion of Christian morality and intelligence, 
so fostered letters, the arts and sciences, so protected 
every creed, so smoothed the road of life and given to 
all an equal chance for happiness and homes." For the 
first time in human annals it has by right-doing and 
patriotic endeavor demonstrated that freedom, intelli- 
gence and Christianity, are of God, and forever blest by 
God. 

WHAT IS PATRIOTISM ? 

Many men as well as boys imagine that patriotism 
means fighting. This is not so. "A patriot is a person 
who loves his land, honors its history, applauds its 
achievements, does not minimize its motives, but says, 
my heart and hand for its prosperity and perpetuity, 
upholding and upbuilding." To cultivate this spirit 
every boy needs to read and study the history of this 
nation, follow the Pilgrims across the briny Atlantic, 
associate with them and their descendants in their 
hardships, fight with them in their battles, share with 
them in their victories, and then will he be thoroughly 
imbued with this spirit. 



230 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

BOY HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION AND REBELLION. 

In an old-fashioned farmhouse near the village of 
Shoreham, which was opposite Fort Ticonderoga, lived 
a farmer and his son by the name of Beman. It was in 
the days when the fathers of their country rebelled 
against English tyranny. Paul Revere had ridden with 
all speed to Lexington. Sixteen patriots had been 
killed or wounded by the first volley of the soldiers un- 
der Pitcairn. The news aroused the country. Not- 
able men leaped to the front to do battle wherever they 
could, and amongst these were Farmer Beman and his 
boy. It was in the month of May, 1775, that Ethan 
Allen at the head of the famous Green Mountaineers 
came up through the forests to surprise and capture the 
fort and its garrison known as Ticonderoga. The 
expedition with which Benedict Arnold was connected 
was composed of three divisions, one of which was to 
capture some boats at Skenesborough and send them 
down the lake to Allen and his men, who were to get 
them at Shoreham. When the renowned Green Moun- 
tain leader reached the little village during the night 
not a single boat had arrived. This was a bitter disap- 
pointment, for Allen had but eighty-three men with 
him and his position was one of great hazard. It 
looked like madness to assail with his small force so 
armed a place as Ticonderoga, yet it was still more dan- 
gerous to remain idle. *'We can't wait for the boats, 
my boys!" exclaimed the intrepid Allen, 'Ve must 
assault the fortress." In looking for a guide the Ver- 
monter found Farmer Beman, who said as soon as he 
understood their mission: "Why not take my boy? 
Nathan knows all about the fort. He's been all over it 
with the boys whose fathers compose the garrison. He 
knows the location of every rat-hole, inside and out." 
The suggestion delighted Allen, and Nathan was called 
and questioned. "I'll go, sir," he said at once. "I know 



Be Patriotic 231 

the way to Delaplace's quarters, too, if you should 
want to find him." 

Delaplace was the commandant, and of course the 
very person whom Allen wanted. The little party 
crossed the lake in such boats as they had at hand. 
Morning was near and every moment had to be put to 
use. When the patriots reached the opposite shore the 
commander turned to the young lad and, laying his 
hand upon his shoulder, said quickly: "We are ready 
now. Show us the way to the sally port." Guided by 
him, the mountaineers moved toward the fort, and, 
coming suddenly upon a sentry, heard the snapping of 
the fuse-lock and saw him run through a covered way 
within the walls. "Quick," cried the boy, looking up 
at Allen, and the soldiers sprang after the guard and 
made their way to the parade ground unopposed. The 
enthusiasm of the patriots now broke forth into shouts 
of victory, which, reaching the ears of the British sol- 
diers, caused them to spring from their pallets and 
rush from the barracks, only to be made prisoners as 
they appeared. Never was a surprise more complete ; 
thanks to Nathan Beman. When Allen had secured 
most of the garrison he asked the boy to show the way 
to the commander's room, and the two were soon run- 
ning up the steps leading to it. 

Bang! bang! w^ent Allen's sword against the col- 
onel's door, and the British officer hurried out of bed 
to answer the command, "Surrender this fort instantly." 
"By what authority?" inquired the astonished officer. 
"In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental 
Congress !" said Allen, flourishing his sword. It so 
happened that Allen and Delaplace were old acquaint- 
ances, and the reader can imagine the latter's astonish- 
ment when he saw who Avas hammering at the door. 
Of course there was nothing to do but surrender. The 
garrison, numbering forty-eight, were made prisoners 



232 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

and sent to Connecticut. A fortress which had cost 
Great Britain a vast amount was captured in ten 
minutes by a company of undiscipHned provincials. 
By this daring exploit a hundred cannons and great 
quantities of military stores fell into the hands of 
the Americans. Amid the general rejoicings that fol- 
lowed this exploit the part played by Nathan Beman 
was not forgotten. His name was on every tongue, 
and his services were rewarded liberally. "He lived," 
said Lossing the historian, ''to see our confederacy in- 
crease from thirteen to thirty stars," and died at the 
good age of eighty-nine years. 

YOUNG HOWE. 

When the call for volunteers was made during the 
Civil War, two boys, twelve and fourteen years respec- 
tively, presented themselves and desired positions as 
drummer boys. ''Our infant drummers," as General 
Sherman called them, attracted much attention on dress 
parade in the great camps of instruction. The little 
Howes drummed well, proved hardy, never seemed 
homesick, and passed through battle after battle, and 
march after march, untouched by disease, unscathed 
by bullet or shell. In the charge of May 19th the 
younger of the two, like other musicians, with a white 
handkerchief tied about the left arm to designate him 
as a non-combatant, followed in the rear of the line to 
assist the wounded. At the advanced position finally 
held by the regiment, it was essential not to allow any 
cessation in the firing, and the cartridge boxes became 
rapidly depleted. Ammunition, from the difficulties of 
the ground, could only be brought to the Union men by 
special messengers and in such quantity as they were 
able to carry about their person. Sergeant-Major 
Hartsook was instructed to go back to the regimental 
ordnance wagon, take command of the musicians and 



Be Patriotic 233 

such other men as he might find detailed near the camp, 
and send them to the front one by one with cartridges. 
This dangerous duty was promptly and well per- 
formed. 

The little drummer, by his own statement, was not 
at this time with the other musicians, but in the ravine 
just in the rear of the regiment, having been ordered 
back from the front to be out of danger, by the colonel. 
About him were several dead and wounded men. Col- 
lecting the ammunition from their cartridge-boxes, and 
using his blouse for a sack, he carried this up to the 
command. Flattered with much praise then received, 
he started for the ordnance wagon and returned in 
safety, with his small but valuable contribution. Again 
he sped down and across the ravine and up the steep 
opposite slope, while a hail-storm of canister and mus- 
ket balls fell around him. Suddenly he dropped, and 
hearts sank, thinking his brief career ended ; but he 
had only tripped over some obstacle. Often he stum- 
bled, sometimes he fell prostrate, but was quickly up 
again, and finally disappeared limping, over the sum- 
mit, and the Fifty-fifth saw him no more for several 
months. As the boy sped away the last time, the colo- 
nel shouted to him: "Bring calibre fifty- four." Gen- 
eral Sherman's letter to the War Department will tell 
the rest of the story. 

Headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps, 
Camp on Big Black, Aug. Sth, 1863. 
Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, 
Sir: 

I take the liberty of asking through you that some- 
thing be done for a young lad named Orion P. Howe, 
of Waukegan, Illinois, who belongs to the ^^th Illinois, 
but is at present from home, wounded. I think he is too 
young for West Point, but wotdd be the very thing for 
a midshipman. 



234 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

When the assault at Vickshurg was at its height, on 
the igth of May, and I was in front near the road which 
formed my line of attack, this young mail came up to 
me wounded and bleeding, with a good, healthy boy's 
cry: "General Sherman, send some cartridges to Col- 
onel Malmborg, the men are all outf "What is the 
matter, my boy?" "They shot me in the leg, sir, but I 
can go to the hospital Send the cartridges right 
away." Even where we stood the shot fell thick, and I 
told him to go to the rear at once, I would attend to the 
cartridges, and off he limped. Just before he disap- 
peared on the hill, he turned and called to me as loud as 
he could : "Calibre 54/^ 

/ have not seen the boy since, and his colonel gave 
me his address as above, and says he is a bright, intelli- 
gent boy, with a fair preliminary education. What ar- 
rested my attention there, was, and what renews my 
memory now, is, that one so young, carrying a musket- 
ball wound through his leg, should have found his way 
to me on that fatal spot, and delivered his message, not 
forgetting the very important part even of the calibre 
of the musket, 54, which you know is an unusual one. 
ril warrant the boy has in him the elements of a man, 
and I commend him to the government as one worthy 
the fostering care of some of its national institutions. 

I am, with respect, your obedient servant, 
W. T. Sherman, 

Major-General Commanding. 

BE PATRIOTIC. 

It may be, my boy, that you will never be able to 
guide a regiment of soldiers as did Nathan Beman, or 
carry cartridges as did young Howe, but that is no rea- 
son why you should not be just as patriotic. That boy 
who is law abiding, who opposes everything that tends 
to undermine the national fabric, who decries Sabbath 



Be Patriotic 235 

desecration, vile language, bad literature, and all vices, 
is a patriot in the true sense of the word, and can be 
relied upon in times of peace as well as war to do his 
best for the country. 

Be patriotic. Cultivate the spirit of admiration to- 
ward the national flag. Dowered with priceless tra- 
ditions its stars and stripes speak of the sufferings of 
the past, the prosperity of the present, and the glories 
of the future which shall attend the onward march of 
this great Republic. It is the hallowed emblem of the 
world's greatest nation, and of its most resplendent 
civilization. Of Sherman it was said that he never 
failed to salute the flag by taking off his hat in its 
presence. That flag is the emblem of all we are and 
all we expect to be. 

"It floats that all the rights of men may every people 
bless 
And God's own kingdom walk the world in peace and 
righteousness/' 

Be patriotic. Study the questions that have a bear- 
ing upon the well-being of the people. In the past hun- 
dred years, more than twenty-three million foreigners 
have settled in this land. Many are God-fearing men, 
but many more are entirely out of harmony with our 
principles and institutions. Truly America is 

''The mother with the ever open door, 
The feet of many nations on her floor, 
And room for all the world about her knees/' 

Of the seventy million inhabitants twenty-five per 
cent, are yet in gross ignorance, thirteen per cent, can- 
not read the ballots they cast, and thousands of such are 
annually coming to our shores, imbued with the notions, 
failings and vices of their native lands. True patriot- 
ism desires and labors not only for a free people, but 
an educated one. 



236 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

To be patriotic requires candor. We must be fair in 
our judgment of others who may differ from us con- 
cerning methods of dealing with some vital questions 
which are always before the nation. We do not al- 
ways see and understand alike, but we must strive to 
promote and preserve the integrity of the nation. In 
the opening hours of the French Revolution Mirabeau 
roused the rabble of Paris, which whirled the social or- 
der into chaos, provoking Madame Roland's dying 
words, "Oh, liberty, what crimes are done in thy 
name!" We have Mirabeaus here, but as educated 
lovers of our country, we must antagonize wrong, up- 
hold right, and defend the principles of the Declara- 
tion of Independence. 

To be patriotic in the true sense is to permeate every 
question with Christianity. It was religious liberty 
that became the mother of political liberty in England. 
De Toqueville said, "America's liberty considers Chris- 
tianity the guardian angel of her struggle and victory, 
the cradle of her life, the Divine source of her right.'* 
"God and my country" is the true patriot's cry. In 
the words of the almost forgotten Oliver Ellsworth to 
the Grand Jury of Savannah in 1779, "Let us rear an 
empire sacred to the rights of men ; and commend a 
government of reason to the nations of the earth." 



PART III 

Relation to God 



CHAPTER XXI 
Be a Christian 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXI 
By Samuel Fallows 

"Early let me seek Thy favor; 
Early let me do Thy will ; 
Blessed Lord, and only Savior, 
With Thy love my bosom fill ; 

Blessed Jesus, 
Thou hast loved me, love me still.'* 

WHAT is it to be a Christian ? It is to be born 
again. What is it to be born again? The 
New Testament gives the answer. He that 
''believeth that Jesus is the Son of God is 
born of Him." ( i John 5:1). He "that loveth is born of 
God." (i John 4:7). He ''that doeth righteousness is 
born of Him." (i John 2: 29). 

Faith, love righteousness and trust in Christ, love 
for Christ, right deeds through this faith and love in 
every sphere of life, deeds of justice, of mercy, of good- 
ness, of purity, of charity for the welfare of his fellow- 
men, — these make a Christian. 

Be such a Christian, my boy. Be a trusting, brave, 
noble, strong, gentle, pure, loving and self-sacrificing 
follower of Jesus Christ. 




240 



CHAPTER XXI 
Be a Christian 

HAVING fairly embarked on the voyage which 
ceases not till the port of eternity is reached, it 
is an exhibition of good seamanship to take 
one's bearings. By the log is estimated the 
progress of the vessel ; by the compass, the direction the 
ship is pursuing, and by the altitude of the stars the lati- 
tude in which it is. In like manner the Moral chapters 
indicate the progress boys should make ; the Social, the 
course they should take, and the Religious, the latitude 
in which they should live. Of these the religious are 
the most essential, for a boy cannot be truly religious 
without being moral and social. 

When the Rebellion began a young man went to his 
mother and said: ''Mother, may I volunteer? I argue 
the matter in four plain ways. First, my country needs 
me. Second, she calls me. Third, I am able to go. 
Fourth, I am willing. This makes the duty very clear 
to me, unless you interpose a veto, and I think you are 
too good a patriot to do that." She gave her consent, 
and before he departed, she said : "You know, my son, 
how much I have wished to see you a Christian. Now 
I want you to look at the claims of Jesus exactly as you 
have looked at those of your country, simply and hon- 
estly, and see if those same four plain propositions will 
not lead you into the service of heaven." "I'll think of 
it, mother," was his answer, and they parted. He did 
not forget his promise. On his first Sabbath in camp 
i6 241 



243 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

he resolutely set himself to the fulfilment of his moth- 
er's request. Remembering how he had argued duty 
to his country, he brought before his mind in the same 
manner the subject of the divine claims upon his heart 
and life. "Does Jesus want me? Does He call me? 
Am I able to serve Him? Am I willing?" With an 
open Bible, the first three questions were quickly an- 
swered. At the last one he hesitated, but duty seemed 
so clear that he dared not falter, and falling on his 
knees he gave himself to Christ. The next letter home 
announced him to be a Christian soldier. 

A CHRISTIAN. 

Many names and titles are significant, but none 
means so much or has so much honor attached to it as 
the word "Christian." Young said, "A Christian is the 
highest style of man." A Christian is a Christ-lover 
and a Christ-worshipper, because he sees God in Christ, 
and in the God-man he sees the world's Redeemer and 
his own personal Saviour. He lives in the world, but 
is not of the world. While in the world he blesses it 
by living a godly, upright life. His life-work and in- 
fluence are a benediction to those among whom he 
moves. His purpose is "not to make a living," as Gov- 
ernor Russell, of Massachusetts, used to say, "but to 
make a life." He is far more concerned about this than 
about dying. Death is the least of his concerns. To 
live is Christ, and because of this, his life is proof of 
his profession. 

HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN. 

To become a Christian Is not a hard matter, though 
to live the life of one is a battle with the world, the 
flesh and Satan. It is because of the simple rules laid 
down whereby one can become a Christian that many 
of mature life neglect it. Were it culture, polish, or 



I 



Be a Christian 243 

liberality, many more would be enrolled as Christians, 
but because a change of heart, affections or living is 
demanded, many cling to their ordinary life, but at the 
last deplore it, earnestly pleading for forgiveness and 
acceptance by Christ. 

Three propositions are given in the New Testament, 
which, accepted, will lead any boy to know what it is to 
be a Christian. First, repentance : ''Jesus came into 
Galilee, preaching . . . repent ye." (Mark i: 14, 
15). Repentance means such sorrow for past conduct 
as leads to amendment of life. Second, confession of 
sin. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He 
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ( i John i : 8, 
9). Third, faith in Christ to save. Paul said to the 
jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved." (Acts 16: 31). 

A father and son were once following a perilous 
path among the Alps. In passing along they gathered 
some beautiful flowers, but the boy, seeing a lovely one 
waving in the breeze, thoughtlessly hurried to secure 
it. His foot slipped and he rolled down an incline un- 
til he was stopped by some tall bushes. With all his 
strength he seized hold of the shrubbery and com- 
menced to call for help. The brush grew on the brink 
of a yawning abyss. It was impossible for the father 
to reach his son with his hands, but he carried a staf¥ 
on one end of which was an iron hook. The boy had 
around him a leathern belt, so the father reached down 
and fastened the hook in his girdle. The lad, how- 
ever, could not be drawn up without releasing his hold 
on the bushes. He could not see his father, nor did he 
in his fright even feel that his father held him up; he 
only heard his voice: "Let go of the bushes, my son, 
and I will save you." To the boy it seemed as though 



244 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

he would thus hurry himself to destruction, but, rely- 
ing on his father's word, he forsook his hold and was 
drawn in safety to his father's side. 

That boy was saved through faith. His firm belief in 
his father's word saved him. Had he persisted in 
holding on to the bushes through doubt or hesitation it 
would have meant his death. To be saved, every boy 
must forsake his hold on sin, yield himself to Christ's 
power and mercy, and then will he find to his joy, that 
Christ saves to the uttermost. (Heb. 7: 25). 

THE TIME TO BE A CHRISTIAN. 

Solomon said there is *'a time to every purpose under 
the heaven,'' (Eccl. 3:1) and no purpose is greater and 
no time more important than when a boy becomes a 
Christian. Youth is the most important period of one's 
life. It is the time when the faculties are most suscepti- 
ble, heart tender and will pliable ; the time when tastes 
and biases are created, habits acquired and character 
formed for future weal or woe. No other period af- 
fords greater possibilities of long usefulness as well as 
opportunities for peculiar usefulness. 

A staff-offiter, riding over the field of battle during 
the Civil War, was attracted by a body lying under a 
tree, handsomely dressed, with a fancy sword. He re- 
moved the covering and looked into the sweetest and 
handsomest face he had ever seen. It was that of a boy, 
a temporary aide to some officer. In his pocket was 
found a Testament in which was written "James Sim- 
mons, N. Y. My son, 'Remember now thy Creator in 
the days of thy youth.' " (Eccl. 12: i). 

That is it, youth. The best and most profitable time 
for piety. Jeremiah and John the Baptist loved and 
worshipped God in their youth. Josiah knew the Lord 
at eight years of age. Timothy knew the Scriptures 
and loved Christ from a child. Polycarp accepted Christ 



1 



Be a Christian 245 

at nine, Jonathan Edwards at seven, Isaac Watts at 
nine, Adam Clarke at four, William Penn at nine, Mat- 
thew Henry at eleven, Robert Hall at twelve, August- 
us Toplady at sixteen, while Joseph Griggs not only be- 
came a Christian very young but wrote the hymn — 

"Jesus ! and shall it ever he 
'A mortal man ashamed of Thee I" 

when but ten years of age. 

Some years ago the ''Golden Rule" sent letters of in- 
quiry to prominent men of the land asking several ques- 
tions, one of which was : "At what age did you become 
a Christian?" It was found on receiving the answers 
that out of one hundred and forty-nine less than one 
in ten became Christians later than twenty years of age ; 
twenty-nine were so young that they did not remember ; 
at least sixty-three professed Christ before they were 
eighteen. Nine-tenths of all saved persons are saved 
before twenty. "Why this?" you ask. Physiologists 
say "the cells of the brain change as we grow old until 
finally there are ruts in them." Carlyle explains it thus : 
"In younger years the whole mind is, as it were, fluid, 
and capable of forming itself into any shape that the 
owner of the mind pleases. The mind is in fluid state, 
but it hardens up gradually to the consistency of rock 
or iron, and you cannot alter the habits of the old man, 
for as he began he will go on to the last." To procrasti- 
nate in youth is to jeopardize one's soul in age. 

"remember." 

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy 
youth," (Eccl. 12: i) is the most important exhortation 
of the Old Testament. Remember is just the opposite 
of forget, and the one to remember is the most exalted 
and important in the universe, "thy Creator." Remem- 
ber His Word and believe it, for the promise is : "He 



246 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent 
Me, hath everlasting Hfe." (John 5: 24). Remember 
His work and accept it, for He was made to "sin for us, 
Who knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteous- 
ness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5: 21). Remember His 
love and return it, for ''herein is love, not that we loved 
God, but that He loved us," (i John 4: 10) and "gave 
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3 : 
16), Remember this Creator now. Only one time is 
mentioned in the Scriptures at which eternal life is 
promised. Cowley sang of an "everlasting now," but 
there is no such time, and no wise boy desires that there 
shall be. There is an eternity of the past, an eternity of 
the future, but "now" is limited to now. "Behold, now 
is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salva- 
tion." (2 Cor. 6:2). And this — 

"Opportunity lost, however deplored 
Is eternity gone and is never restored." 

After the overthrow of the French empire by the Ger- 
mans, Prince Napoleon joined the English army, and 
went among the savage tribes of South Africa. One 
day while with a squad of soldiers outside the camp, he 
was warned by one of the company, who said: "We 
had better return. If we don't hasten we may fall into 
the hands of the enemy." "Oh," said the Prince, "let us 
stay here ten minutes and drink our coffee." Before 
the ten minutes had passed a company of Zulus came 
upon them and in the skirmish the Prince lost his life. 
His mother, when informed of the facts, said, "That 
was his great mistake from boyhood. He never wanted 
to go to bed at night in time, nor to arise in the morn- 
ing. He was ever pleading for ten minutes more. On 
this account I sometimes called him 'Mr. Ten Min- 



Be a Christian 247 

The habit of delay was to him what it is to thousands 
who pass the tenth, fifteenth and twentieth milestone 
without accepting Christ, his ruination. Such delay 
weakens the force of the will, unfits for action when op- 
portunity presents, robs the present and blasts the fu- 
ture. 

REASONS FOR BEING A CHRISTIAN IN YOUTH. 

"li youth," as Ruskin said, "is essentially one of for- 
mation, edification, instruction," then is it the proper 
time to be a Christian, for ^'There's never an hour of it 
but is trembling with destinies, not a moment of which, 
once past, the appointed work can ever be done again, or 
the neglected blow struck on cold iron." 

A boy should be a Christian for the sake of safety. 
As one grows away from boyhood, he grows away from 
the opportunities for salvation. He is liable to drift. 
There is a point on Niagara River called ''Past Re- 
demption Point," where the current is too strong for hu- 
man power to battle against. Manhood and age have no 
special promise like ''they that seek Me early shall find 
Me." (Prov. 8: 17). 

A boy should be a Christian that he may be happy. 
To properly remember God, to lose oneself in adoration 
of Him, is to be like Him, to be "holy as He is holy," 
(i Pet. I : 15, 16) consequently it is to be happy as He 
is happy. Holiness and happiness are inseparable. 
True love and true joy come together. 

A boy should be a Christian to be useful. God's 
promise to Abraham was : "I will bless thee, and thou 
shalt be a blessing." (Gen. 12: 2). When Joseph 
dwelt in Potiphar's house, we read : "The Lord blessed 
the Egyptian's house, for Joseph's sake." (Gen. 39: 5). 
And the boy who loves Christ will be a rich blessing in 
many ways to others. 

A boy should be a Christian because it is right. Right 



248 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

is better than might, and worth more than gold. "In the 
matter of right," said Martin Luther, "I will take my 
stand, I yield to none." "Vd rather be right than Presi- 
dent," said Henry Clay. The only proper life to live is 
the Christian life. It is sweet on earth, which makes 
heaven the sweeter. 

My boy, be a Christian. "All men at the head of 
great movements," said Mr. Gladstone, "are Christian 
men. During the many years I was cabinet officer, I 
was brought into association with sixty master minds, 
and all but five were Christians." To be a Christian is 
the most satisfactory, honorable, influential course to 
pursue. It gives unspeakable joy in life, peace in death, 
and glory hereafter. Remember then — 

God wants the hoys — all kinds of boys — 
To love Him, serve Him, do His will; 

He wants those hoys that make much noise, 
And those who keep so very still. 

God sent His 'Son to die for all. 
And on the cross His hlood was shed. 

No boy need spurn His gracious call 
Or of the ''Bread of Life" be fed. 

Then why not to this Christ now flee 

And on His mercy cast thyself? 
O hear His zuords : "Come unto Me!' 

And answering back, "/ yield myself." 



CHAPTER XXII 
Be Prayerful 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXII 
By a. C. Lorimer, D. D. 

WHEN I was a youth, I loved to climb Arthur's 
Seat early in the morning, for the purpose of 
breathing the air borne to our inland home 
from out the mighty seas ; and so it is well 
for every lad each day to seek the summit of highest 
faith, that he may hold communion with God ; that he 
may inhale something of the atmosphere of eternal 
worlds. 

It is said that Daniel opened his window when he 
prayed, toward Jerusalem. It was doubtless that he 
might think of the hallowed city. Better far, however, 
to open the windows of the soul toward heaven, not 
merely that we may think of the hereafter, but that the 
invisible, at the present moment, may stream into our 
being. 

Prayer is the soul's voice. It is the aspiration of the 
highest part of man. It is the sublime confidence, that, 
though foreign, still it is within the range of possibility 
to hold communion with the Creator of us all. Every 
time we bend the knee before the Throne of Grace, we 
declare our belief in our own God-likeness and in our 
indestructible affinity for the divine. Therefore, pray, 
my boy, and keep on praying ; for it is the true Jacob's 
ladder that will lead you, round by round, up to the 
Everlasting Throne. 





CHAPTER XXII 
Be Prayerful 

A NOBLE characteristic of any boy is love for 
prayer. Too many consider common amuse- 
ments more important than going to some 
chamber or church to commune with the loving 
Saviour. They are not. The former bring transient 
happiness and with it a weary frame, the latter an unex- 
plained peace, rest of body and soul. The former grat- 
ifies for a time without changing selfish desires or pro- 
moting lofty aspirations, the latter moulds into the im- 
age of the Christ-character. 

Prayer is not simply a petition or mere forms of a 
vain repetition. It is a turning of the life toward God, 
an opening of the soul toward heaven, a reaching out of 
one's being w^ith desire to appropriate the Divine. It 
was a shoemaker's shop, with bench, half-w^orn shoes 
and not a few boxes. The proprietor was an old friend 
of the writer, so deaf that few could converse with him. 
Visiting the village in which he lived, I called upon 
him. After a chat by means of the lips, signs and paper, 
he asked if I would like to hear his son play the harp. 
Assenting, he called the lad, who brought a beautiful in- 
strument. Placing his feet on the pedals, he ran his 
fingers over the wires and melodious music resounded. 
When it stopped, I turned to the old man, and asked by 
signs: "Did you hear it?" Shaking his head, he an- 
swered, ''Not a note." Then stepping to the stove, he 
picked up a long black poker, and putting one end be- 
tween his teeth and the other on the harp, he motioned 



252 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

the boy to play. The lad's fingers moved as if by magic. 
The room was flooded with music and passing pedestri- 
ans stopped to listen. Suddenly the musician stopped. 
I propounded the same question: "Did you hear any- 
thing?" He laughed and answered: ''All that you 
heard, I heard." How ? That dirty poker was changed 
into a conductor of sound. It brought harp and listener 
in contact with each other. In like manner prayer 
brings God and petitioner into near relation. What 
one pleads, the other hears, and answering, God makes 
music in the soul. 

GREAT MEN GREAT IN PRAYING. 

Many great men have been great in praying. Men of 
the Bible, men of science, history and influence have 
been firm believers in it. Charles Simeon and Joseph 
Alleine spent from four to eight o'clock in the morning 
waiting upon God. Wesley gave two hours a day, Lu- 
ther the first three hours. Samuel Rutherford was up 
at three in the morning to give God praise. Archbishop 
Leighton was so much alone with God that he seemed 
to be in a perpetual meditation. Bishop Ken was so 
much alone with God, that his soul was said to be God- 
enamored. David Brainerd prayed hour after hour. 
John Fletcher spent whole nights in prayer, John Welsh 
often seven to eight hours a day. When the hour for 
devotion arrived, General Gordon displayed a white 
handkerchief outside his tent, and as long as it re- 
mained, no one was allowed to disturb him. General 
Stonewall Jackson's servant used to say that when 
his master got up several times during the night to pray 
there was to be a battle next day. Abraham Lincoln 
acknowledged that he had been driven to his knees "by 
the overwhelming conviction that he had nowhere else to 
go." Gathering his pupils about him at the opening of 
his school, Agassiz said, "It is becoming that we first 



Be Prayerful 253 

of all bow in the presence of the Infinite One." Well 
might these exclaim with thousands of others : "For 
this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." (Eph. 3: 14). 

PRAYER MAKES A BOY BRAVE. 

During the Civil War a dozen soldiers were playing 
cards one night when one exclaimed: ''What on earth 
was that ?" Listening attentively a moment, he heard a 
low, solemn voice, coming from the next tent, occupied 
by several recruits, who had that day arrived in camp. 
Accompanied by the others he approached the tent on 
tip-toe, "Boys, he's praying, or I'm a sinner !" he 
roared out. "Three cheers for the parson !" shouted an- 
other man of the group as the prayer ended. "You 
watch things for three weeks. I'll show you how to 
take the religion out of him," said the first speaker, 
laughing. He was a large burly fellow, prominent in 
mischief. The recruit was a slight, pale-faced boy. 
During the next three weeks the latter was the butt of 
the camp. Then several of the boys, conquered by the 
lad's gentle patience and uniform kindness, begged the 
others to stop annoying him. "Oh, the little ranter is no 
better than the rest of us !" answered the ringleader. 
"When we get under fire, you'll see him run. These 
pious folk don't like the smell of gunpowder. I've no 
faith in their religion." 

In a few weeks, the regiment broke camp, marched 
toward Richmond, entered the Wilderness and engaged 
in that fearful battle. The company to which the young 
recruit belonged had a desperate struggle. The brigade 
was driven back, and when the line was formed behind 
the breastworks they had built in the morning, he was 
missing. When last seen, he was surrounded by ene- 
mies, fighting desperately. At his side was the brave 
fellow who had made the poor lad a constant object of 



254 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ridicule. Both were given up as lost. Suddenly the 
big man was seen tramping through the underbrush, 
bearing the dead body of the boy. Reverently he laid 
the corpse down, saying as he wiped the blood from his 
own face : "Boys, I couldn't leave him behind, he fought 
so. I thought he deserved a decent burial." 

During a lull in the battle the men dug a shallow 
grave and tenderly laid him to rest. Then, as one was 
cutting the name and regiment upon a board, the big 
man said, with a husky voice, 'T guess you'd better put 
the words 'Praying soldier' in somewhere. He deserves 
the title, and maybe it'll console him for our abuse." 

There was not a dry eye among those rough men as 
they stuck the rudely carved board at the head of the 
grave. "Well," said one, "he was a praying Christian 
soldier if ever there was one! And," turning to the 
ring-leader, "he didn't run, did he, when he smelt gun- 
powder?" "Run!" answered the big man, his voice 
tender with emotion. "Why, he didn't budge an inch ! 
But what's that to standing for weeks our fire like a 
man, and never sending a word back! He just stood 
by his flag and let us pepper him, he did ; and boys, I 
have made up my mind if prayer will make a man as 
bold, as loving, as forgiving, as good, as it did that boy, 
I'm going to resort to it. It did him good and it'll do me 
good," and as the other fellows bent their heads he 
prayed for forgiveness and salvation, at the close of 
which the others said, "Amen !" 

HOW TO PRAY. 

Prayer is a blessed privilege, a vital necessity, an im- 
perative duty, but many there are who do not know 
how to pray. A mere repetition of words or reading 
prayers is not prayer. Prayer may be a sigh, a tear, a 
groan, a bungling utterance, "a true wish" as Phillips 
Brooks used to say, "sent God-ward." It is — 



Be Prayerful 255 

''the sours sincere desire 
Uttered or unexpressed. 
The motive of a hidden fire 
That kindles in the breast." 

Prayer should always be accompanied by thanksgiv- 
ing and confession. David said, ''I will confess my 
transgressions unto the Lord," (Psalm 32: 5) and 
Paul exhorts, "Giving thanks always for all things unto 
God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." (Eph. 5: 20). Prayer should be offered in 
faith. Faith is taking one at his word and thus Christ 
said, "If ye ask anything in My name, I will do it." 
(John 14: 14). To pray without faith, the Bible in- 
forms us, is sin, and this is the reason why many of our 
petitions are not answered. They are like those blos- 
soms which fall blasted to the earth. They had a cer- 
tain beauty and fragrance, but for want of some con- 
formity to the law of growth, they never developed 
into fruit. They are, as Mrs. Stowe says, "drowsy 
mutterings of unawakened souls, talking in their sleep." 
But real prayer is always answered. There may be de- 
lays as in Daniel's petition, or tests to strengthen faith, 
as when Jesus said to Jairus, "Fear not, only believe," 
(Luke 8: 50) for what Christ has promised, He will 
certainly perform. 

WHEN AND WHERE TO PRAY. 

Prayer should be our vital breath. As with Paul, it 
should be "without ceasing," (Thess. 5 : 17) our inward 
desire continually going up to God. It should be the first 
exercise of the morning and the last in the evening. "It 
is the first hour of the morning," says a Chinese pro- 
verb, "that gives color to all the others that follow." 
Louis XIV. was awakened every morning with the 
words : "Arise, Monsieur, you have great things to do 
to-day." But how could they be done properly without 



256 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

God's blessing, and how could God's blessing be se- 
cured without asking? When Arthur P. Stanley the 
first night went to the dormitory at Eton School where 
he with others had to sleep, he knelt down to say his 
evening prayers. Instantly a shower of pillows and 
shoes flew about him. He prayed on. "Stanley," said 
one of the boys next day, "I ought to have done as you 
did. I haven't said my prayers at night because I was 
afraid of the ridicule of the boys." It was not long be- 
fore a score of them followed his example. President 
Garfield when a boy undertook with a number of stu- 
dents from Williams College to climb Mount Grey- 
lock. Their plan was to spend the night on the mount. 
Seated around the campfire they sang college songs and 
told stories all the evening. At bedtime Garfield took a 
Testament from his pocket and said: "Boys, it is my 
custom to read a chapter in the Bible and have prayer 
before going to bed. Shall we have it all together?" 
and though it seemed rather hard to do, Garfield did it 
and all were blessed for it. 

Two places are mentioned in the Scriptures where a 
boy should pray. Those places are the Christian's arse- 
nal. One is the secret chamber where communion is 
sweet because undisturbed, the other is the church, 
where in unity believers call upon God. To the devout 
boy both are the "Holy of Holies" where God delights 
to meet him at the "Mercy Seat." Blessed is the place 
of public prayer ! Never neglect it. But the place of 
secret prayer is still more blessed. Cyprian would re- 
sort to a shady arbor where "no profane listener may 
hinder my musings, and no domestic clamor drown 
them." Robert Murray McCheyne declared, "It is my 
noblest and most fruitful employment." Henry Mar- 
tyn mourned at the close of his saintly life, that he had 
devoted "too much time to public works and too little 
to private communion with God." God said, "In quiet- 



Be Prayerful 257 

ness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isa. 

30: 15). 

O, the sweetness of one hour at the feet of Jesus. It 
changes dispositions, purifies character, overcomes ob- 
stacles, imparts strength to resist temptations, yes, it 
make life worth living. 

'We kneel, and all around us seems to lower; 
We rise, and all, the distant and the near, 
Stands forth in sunny outline, hrave and clear; 
We kneel, how weak ! we rise, how full of power \ 

WHAT PRAYER WILL DO. 

More things are wrought by prayer than anything 
else. It opens heaven's door, commands God's ears to 
hear and hand to bestow, makes darkened clouds with- 
draw, climbs — 

"the ladder Jacob saw. 
Gives exercise to faith and love; 
Brings every blessing from above." 

Prayer has brought rain a thousand times since Eli- 
jah prayed, softened kings' hearts since Nehemiah won 
the sympathy of Artaxerxes, shut lions' mouths since 
Daniel was cast into their den, given victory to armies 
since Amalek was discomfited, liberated captives since 
Peter was delivered from prison, abated storms since 
Christ said to wind and wave : ''Peace ! be still," (Mark 
4: 39) arrested hundreds of prodigals since Monica 
prayed for her wicked son Augustine, restored health, 
supplied food, transformed lives and revolutionized na- 
tions. 

Prayer is the means that aids to keep in subjection 
the sinful tendencies of human nature and though liv- 
ing in the world keeps us separated from it. It is the 
means to aid us in winning souls for Jesus. John Wes- 
ley was once riding along when he saw a man kneeling 
17 



258 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

by the wayside breaking stones. ''Ah," cried he, "I wish 
I could break the hearts of some who hear me as easily 
as you are breaking those stones." The man looked up 
and said, "Did you ever try to break them on your 
knees?" Pleading with God should always precede 
pleading with souls to come to God, and it is a question 
whether anyone has ever come to God who was not ear- 
nestly prayed for by some one. 

Prayer will also make a death-bed glorious. "Yea," 
saith the Psalmist, "though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art 
with me. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 
( Psalm 23 : 4) . A boy was dying at midnight. He had 
just awakened from sleep. "Is it near morning?" he 
asked his father. "It soon will be," replied the parent. 
"Do you think I will get well?" "I hope so," sobbed 
the father. There was a long silence, then the lad 
moved restlessly on the pillow and said, "Hold me up, 
father, I want to say my prayers." Then, clasping his 
hands together, he repeated : "Our Father, which art 
in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. 
Thy kingdom come. I can't remember, father ! I can't 
remember !" A short time after the morning light stole 
into the room. "Forever and forever," uttered the boy 
and he fell asleep in death. 

O, my boy, cultivate this glorious habit of praying. 
To be intimately acquainted with God cheers, inspires, 
ennobles. An old man lay dying. His sons stood 
around his bed to receive his parting counsel, and his 
last blessing. He had fought the battle of life success- 
fully; and, so far as this world was concerned, had 
come out crowned with honors. He had been a pillar in 
the church; his seat had never been vacant, his hand 
always freely opened to every call. For months he had 
been laid aside by a lingering and painful illness. 
"Boys," he said, "God has been good to me. He has 



Be Prayerful 259 

given me many friends, good children, a loving wife, 
and abundant means ; but what I thank Him for now 
most of all is this long and painful illness. Without it my 
life would have been a failure ; I should have gone hence 
without knowing as I should the only One worth know- 
ing. Boys, whatever you do or whatever you leave 
undone, whether you make another cent of money or 
not, take time to get acquainted with God." That's it. 
So acquainted with Him that with simple words you can 
breathe your heart's desire. So acquainted as to talk 
with Him the first thing in the morning and the last in 
the evening. So acquainted as to seek His favor in 
everything and to praise Him for anything. 

"Implore His aid, in His decisons rest, 
Secure, whafer He gives, He gives the best/' 



CHAPTER XXIII 

Be a Bible Student 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXIII 
By James H. Brookes 

1. The command of our Lord: "Search the Scrip- 
tures; for in them ye think ye have eternal Hfe: and 
they are they which testify of Me." — John 5 : 39. 

2. They will make a hoy wise : "From a child thou 
hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make 
thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in 
Christ Jesus." — 2 Timothy 2: 15. 

3. They will cleanse his way: "Wherewithal shall a 
young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto 
according to Thy Word." — Psalms 119: 9. 

4. They will he a lamp and a light : "Thy Word is a 
lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The en- 
trance of Thy Words giveth light ; it giveth understand- 
ing to the simple." — Psalm 119: 195, 130. 

5. The Bihle will do more for you than father or 
mother: "When thou goest, it shall lead thee: when 
thou sleepest, it shall keep thee : and when thou awak- 
est, it shall talk with thee." — Proverbs 6: 22. 

6. By the Word you are horn again: "Being born 
again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by 
the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." — 
I Peter i : 23. 

7. By the Word you grow : "As new-born babes, de- 
sire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow 
thereby." — i Peter 2 : 2. 

262 



CHAPTER XXIII 

Be a Bible Student 

NEVER was there an age with so many books 
as the present; books to amuse and instruct, 
books of fact and fiction, but the greatest and 
grandest is the Bible. 'Tt has," as Locke said, 
"God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth 
without mixture of error for its matter, — it is all pure, 
all sincere ; nothing too much, nothing wanting." 

The Bible is the only book in which the best litera- 
ture of thirty centuries is incorporated, the only book 
which has been translated into more than three hundred 
languages and printed by the hundreds of millions. 
The only book which has stimulated invention, ad- 
vanced education, given stability, order and prosperity 
to homes and nations, emancipated slaves, exalted vir- 
tue, and led lost souls to a knowledge of Christ and 
everlasting life. 

The Bible ! Bishop Foster said, "Exiled, it has 
created a new kingdom and shifted the center and bal- 
ance of power. Carried away captive, it has broken 
down rival altars and overthrown false gods, till the 
right of way has been accorded to it by friend and foe. 
Sold into bondage by false brethren, it has captured 
the hearts of its masters, and ascended the throne of do- 
minion. Driven into sea, it has gone over dry shod, 
seeing its enemies overwhelmed in the flood and itself 
singing the glad song of deliverance. Burned on the 
public square by the public executioner, it has risen 
Phoenix-like and floated awav in triumph, wearing the 

26/ 



264 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

smoke of its own funeral pyre as a flag of victory. 
Scourged from city to city, it has gone through the 
capitals of the civilized world, leaving behind it a trail 
of light attesting its divine authority. Cast into the lep- 
er's pest-house, it has purified the scales of contagion, 
restored the soft pink skin of smiling infancy, quickened 
the energies of romping youth, and recreated the sinews 
of heroic manhood. Betrayed by a kiss, it has stood 
erect in the calm majesty of eternity, amid the swarm- 
ing minions of its enemies. Nailed to a felon's cross it 
has illuminated the darkness by the radiance of its own 
glory, and transformed the summits of sacrifice into a 
throne of universal judgment. Sealed into the gloom of 
a sepulcher, it has come forth with the echoing foot- 
steps of Almighty God, rising to dominion over all intel- 
ligences." 

The Bible ! Marvelous book ! It has illuminated 
every darkness, broken the shackles of vicious habits, 
and given inspiration along all lines of goodness. The 
pictures of Raphael, the images of Milton, the allegory 
of Bunyan were all drawn from it. Ruskin built his lit- 
erary productions upon it. The poets Thompson and 
Johnson dipped their pens in the style of the Orientals. 
Emboldened by its teaching Howard devoted his life to 
the amelioration of prisoners, Wilberforce and Lincoln 
to the emancipation of slaves, and the Pilgrim Fathers 
forsook their native land to accept the hardships of this 
untilled country, where they might worship God ac- 
cording to the dictates of their conscience. 

The Bible! It is the best book for boys. Not only 
does it tell the story of Joseph sold into slavery by his 
jealous brothers, Samuel called by God in the night, 
David killing Goliath with sling and stone, Daniel cast 
into the lions' den, Christ confounding the doctors of 
the law by His knowledge of the Scriptures, but it 
makes one rich in things eternal. In London a poor 



Be a Bible Student 265 

man once purchased a second-hand family Bible, and 
was turning over its leaves, when he found two stuck 
together. His wife loosened them with hot water, and 
found there six crisp five pound bank-notes, twenty- 
five dollars each. He was questioning his right to keep 
them, when he found these words written on one of 
them: "I have had to work very hard for these, and, 
having no natural heirs, I leave thee, whoever shall buy 
this Holy Book, my lawful heir, June 17, 1840, South 
End, Essex." So — 

''This Book unfolds Jehovah's mind, 
This voice salutes in accents kind; 
This friend will all your needs supply, 
This fountain send forth streams of joy. 
This mine affords us boundless wealth. 
This good physician gives us health. 
This sun renews and warms the soul. 
This sword both wounds and makes us whole; 
This letter shows our sins forgiven. 
This guide conducts us safe to heaven; 
This charter has been sealed with blood — 
This volume is the Word of God." 

READ THE BIBLE. 

The Bible, being such an excellent book, should be 
read with care. There is not a condition or circum- 
stance in life but that some appropriate counsel is given. 
*Tn this Book," as Dean Stanley said to the skeptic 
Ewald, "is contained all the wisdom of the world." 
George Muller formed the habit of reading it through 
with diligent attention four times a year. So delighted 
was Sir William Jones with it, that he wrote on the 
blank leaf of his Bible : "I have regularly and attentively 
perused these Holy Scriptures." 

If the Bible is good to read it is better to study. To 



266 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

study is an art and is the couplet to habitual practice. 
Said a talented young man to a musician, "Tell me how 
to play the sonatas of Beethoven in their true spirit." 
"You ask too much of me," said the musician, "yet I 
will do what I can. What do you play these days?" 
"Nothing." "My friend! How shall I tell you how 
to play Beethoven when it is not your habit to play any- 
thing at all? To know how to play Beethoven you 
must first of all know how to play." So with the Bible. 
To know how to study it, we must first of all know how 
to study. To enjoy a painting one needs more than to 
glance at it. It should be looked at from every point, 
the variety of shading noticed minutely, and then, tak- 
ing a step backwards, one is better able to appreciate 
it, as its whole beauty stands out prominently. There 
is an ingenious engraving of the first draft of the 
American Constitution and the Emancipation Procla- 
mation, so finely shaded that at a little distance one 
presents a perfect likeness of George Washington, 
the other an excellent portrait of Abraham Lincoln. So 
after investigating this authentic history, this library 
of sixty-six of the world's best books, the more than a 
hundred pieces of its best music and double that of pic- 
tures, one cannot fail to see standing out from all the 
great Jehovah and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. 

PEASANT AND BIBLE. 

To Study the Bible was once considered a crime. 
Only priests were allowed to read and interpret it. 
Those who were caught searching its sacred pages 
were punished by fine, imprisonment and not infre- 
quently death. On one occasion Joseph H. under the 
assumed name of "Count of Falkenstein" was traveling 
in Bohemia, and, being stopped by a rainstorm took 
shelter at a village inn. During the evening some of 
the peasants called at the tavern to talk with the land- 



Be a Bible Student 267 

lord about a small house just outside the village, in 
which they claimed dark-looking objects, carrying 
lighted torches, were moving about. Superstition had 
such a hold upon the peasantry that they thought the 
future welfare of the little town depended upon the 
utter annihilation of that cottage, together with its oc- 
cupants. Joseph, overhearing their conversation, ex- 
pressed a desire to see the place. Accordingly he pro- 
ceeded thither with his escort. On arriving, he com- 
manded his attendants to surround the house while he 
knocked at the door. The summons was answered by 
an old man who asked, "Who is it that disturbs an 
honest man at so late an hour?" The Emperor re- 
plied : 'Tf you are honest, no harm shall befall you, 
but, if not, you shall die this very night." The old 
man re-entered the room and Joseph followed and seat- 
ed himself on the stove-hearth. In the center of the 
room was a table with a Bible upon it, and gathered 
around were several pious-looking people who had 
been engaged in divine worship. Joseph ordered the 
master of the house to proceed with his devotions. 
This he did, reading from the third chapter of the 
Gospel of St. John : "For God so loved the world." 
After listening a little while, the ruler, with tears in his 
eyes, exclaimed : "I was not aware that there were peo- 
ple who still had the courage to read the Bible." He 
invited the pious father to come to Vienna and in- 
quire at the imperial palace for the "Count of Falken- 
stein." The good man, in compau}^ with his son, soon 
after went, and found the Count to be the Emperor 
himself. Joseph grasped both his hands and gave him 
a scroll which contained the toleration edict, dated Oc- 
tober 13th, 1 78 1. He also handed him a purse of five 
hundred florins with which to build a chapel. This 
chapel bearing the inscription, "A present from the 
Emperor," is situated in the village of Lackenstein, 



268 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Bohemia, while the name of Senitz is still honored as 
the one who dared study the Word of God, though a 
nation opposed it. 

POINTS TO REMEMBER. 

To Study the Bible one needs a proper spirit. Ezra 
said, "He prepared his heart to seek the law of the 
Lord." (Ezra 7: 10). Heart preparation is needed to 
open the covers of this Book indited by the Holy 
Ghost. It is God's Book, and should be handled by 
clean fingers and a clean heart. Without doubt Ezra 
prayed before he studied. "Open Thou mine eyes," said 
David, "that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy 
law." (Psalm 119: 18). Every boy should speak to 
God before he looks into the Bible, asking that he may 
reverently and intelligently read its contents. 

"Study it carefully, 

Think of it prayerfully, 
Deep in thy heart let its pure precepts dzvell. 

Slight not its history, 

Ponder its mystery; 
None can e'er prize it too fondly or well." 

To study the Bible one should have a special time 
if possible. The early morning is doubtless the best, 
for the mind is more active and receptive, and pas- 
sages then read may be considered with profit through- 
out the day. However, it is a good thing to glance at 
it whenever there is a spare moment. James Bonnell 
made the Holy Scriptures his constant and daily study. 
He read them, meditated upon them and prayed over 
them. Sir John Hartop, amidst his many vocations, 
kept the Bible before him night and day. If it is good 
to read in the morning, and to meditate upon through 
the day, it is just as good to read in the evening. The 
good German expositor Bengel was seen one night 



Be a Bible Student 269 

with the open Bible upon his knees, and laying his 
hand upon its sacred page, was heard to say, "Lord 
Jesus, we are on the same terms that we were this morn- 
ing, now I will lie down and sleep, and Thou wilt ful- 
fill Thy Word in me." Blessed confidence ! 

To study the Bible one might use a few helps to ad- 
vantage. Use a reference Bible. It is almost indis- 
pensable to proper study. A concordance is necessary 
to turn to any verse with celerity. A Bible dictionary 
is a valuable aid to explain many things in history, an- 
tiquity, customs and manners. A good commentary is 
often a valuable requisite. It helps in the study, though 
it must not be depended upon as a lame man depends 
upon his crutches. 

HOW TO STUDY. 

What is worth doing is certainly worth doing well. 
No fitful study has ever mastered any branch of sci- 
ence or art. If constant application of fundamental 
principles is necessary to achieve the highest results 
in scientific investigation, if the ability to make accur- 
ate lines and curves is essential to the success of the 
truest artist, if practice in five-finger exercises is a 
daily necessity to the pianist, the boy who desires to be 
thoroughly acquainted with the Bible must diligently 
search it. 

Study carefully words and verses. Frequently one 
word is a nugget of pure gold. Study ideas. As there 
are veins of silver and gold in the rocks, so there are 
veins of truth running through the Bible. Study 
history. No book deals with nations as far back and 
shows their rise and fall as the Bible. Study geogra- 
phy. There are rivers and mountains associated with 
great events. Every land seems to have changed ex- 
cept the one where the Bible was written. Egypt, 
Greece and Rome have little now in common with the 



270 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

days of antiquity. Babylon and Nineveh are not. But 
Palestine still remains about the same as a literal expla- 
nation of the Bible. 

Study the books. Learn the number and the names 
of their authors. ''Doctor," said a convalescent, "I'm 
no judge of books — don't often read one ; but I'm read- 
ing one now that seems to me a very fine book. I 
haven't noticed yet who wrote it, and I don't know how 
you'd pronounce its title, but it's something like I-van- 
hoe." "My friend," said the physician, "I'd give large 
gold to be in your place long enough to be reading that 
book for the first time and not knowing who wrote it." 
In the Old Testament there are 39 books. In the New 
Testament 2J. The first five are laws and political 
economy, the next twelve history, the rest poetry and 
prophecy. The first four of the New Testament are 
biography and gospel ; Acts is history ; the Epistles the- 
ology and philosophy, and Revelation is a drama writ- 
ten by John on the Isle of Patmos. 

Study a whole book asking such questions, "Who 
wrote it ? Where was it written ? In what age ? What 
lessons does it teach ?" By seeking an answer to these 
questions one cannot fail to gain valuable information 
in biography, geography, and manners. Study the 
teachings of the New Testament. Its numerous com- 
mands will prompt action, its invitations inspire confi- 
dence, its promises impart comfort and its doctrines es- 
tablish one in faith. In a word, study the Scriptures 
methodically. 

WHY STUDY THE BIBLE? 

The question why study the Bible is of as great im- 
portance as how. It is historically worth studying. 
Without it history is incomplete. It is the only 
book that spans four thousand years, revealing 
the origin of the universe and man. It is per- 



Be a Bible Student 271 

sonally worth studying. "In its pages every con- 
ceivable condition of human experience is reflected 
as in a mirror. It puts music into the speech of 
the tuneless one, and rounds the periods of the unlet- 
tered into an eloquence which no orator can rival. It 
has martial odes to brace the warrior's courage and 
gainful proverbs to teach the merchant wisdom. It 
can translate the doubt of the perplexed, articulate the 
cry of the contrite, and fill the tongue of the joyous 
with carols of thankful gladness." Because of its 
blaze of eloquence and light of truth Burke read it, 
while Daniel Webster turned to it for its rhetoric and 
poetry. 

It is this book, my boy, which is needed as a guide 
in the practical duties of life, and which makes us 
"Wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus." (2 Tim. 3: 15). In fact, it is the only book 
which presents Christ. In the Old Testament He is 
seen in prophecy and symbol, in the New in history. 
In the Old, He is brought to our hearts in glorious 
promises ; in the New, He comes to us as a living per- 
son. He is "all and in all" (Col 3: 3), insuring 
peace in this life, comforting in death and extending 
happiness beyond the grave. 

"is all this true?" 

In the northern part of England lived a pious widow 
with her seven daughters and one son. The latter 
proved ungrateful for her care and became her scourge 
and cross. He loved worldly company and pursued a 
wayward course till becoming impoverished it was nec- 
essary for him to go to sea. When his mother took 
leave of him she gave him a New Testament, inscribed 
with his name and her own and solemnly and tenderly 
entreated him to keep the book and read it for her sake. 
Years passed without tidings of his whereabouts. Oc- 



272 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

casionally when visiting the metropolis she would in- 
quire for the ship in which her son had sailed, but 
without satisfaction. On one occasion she accidentally 
met a sea captain, who informed her that the vessel had 
been wrecked, and that Charles, whom he knew well, 
had gone as all like him should go, to the bottom of the 
sea. Pierced to the soul, the unhappy mother withdrew 
and resolved in future to live in strict retirement. "I 
shall go down to the grave," she said, ''mourning for 
my son." (Gen. 37: 35). She moved to a seaport. 
After the lapse of years a destitute sailor seeking re- 
lief knocked at the door. She heard his tale. He had 
several times been wrecked, but he had never been so 
dreadfully destitute as he was some years back, when 
he and a fine young gentleman were the only individu- 
als of a whole ship's crew that were saved. "We were 
cast upon a desert island, where, after seven days and 
nights, I closed his eyes. Poor fellow, I shall never 
forget it. He read day and night in a little book, which 
he said his mother gave him, and which was the only 
thing he saved. It was his companion every moment. 
He talked of nothing but this book and his mother, and 
at last he gave it to me, with many thanks for my poor 
services. 'There, Jack/ said he, 'take this book, keep 
and read it, and may God bless you, it's all I've got,' 
and then he clasped my hand and died in peace." 

"Is all this true?" asked the trembling, astonished 
mother. "Yes, madam, every word of it." Then, 
drawing from his ragged coat a little book, much bat- 
tered and time-worn, he held it up, exclaiming, "and 
here it is." She seized the Testament, recognized her 
own handwriting and beheld the name of her son 
coupled with her own on the cover. She gazed, read, 
wept and rejoiced. She seemed to hear a voice which 
said, "Behold, thy son liveth !" (John 4: 50). Amidst 
her conflicting emotions, she was ready to exclaim: 



Be a Bible Student 273 

''Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, 
according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy 
salvation." (Luke 2: 29, 30). 

If my boy, a book helps one to die, it must be an ex- 
cellent book by which to live. Make it your constant 
companion and study, looking for its precepts as well 
as promises, and determine to live up to every duty as 
you shall discover it. On the day of Queen Eliza- 
beth's coronation, a boy, skilled in athletic feats, was 
dressed as an angel, with wings on his shoulders and 
feet, and on the approach of the royal coach, he de- 
scended as if from heaven, from the top of Temple Bar, 
bearing an elegant Bible, expressly made for the Queen. 
As he descended, the crowd exclaimed: "The Bible 
Bearer !" Blessed the boy who accepts God's call to be 
a "Bible Bearer." Said David, "Thy word have I hid 
in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." (Ps. 
119: II). 

"Here the tree of knozvledge grozvs. 
And yields a free repast; 
Here purer sweets than nature knows, 
Invite the longing taste." 



18 



CHAPTER XXIV 
Be a Sabbath Observer 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXIV 
By Wilbur F. Crafts 

WE are apt to think," said Henry S. Baker, 
"that a rest of twelve hours, with a sleep 
of about eight fully recuperates us after a 
day of hard work at physical or mental la- 
bor or both. The microscope shows such a view to be 
wrong. Even twenty-four hours is not quite enough 
time, strange as it may seem. The microscope shows 
that more than thirty hours, possibly thirty-three or 
thirty-six, are needed to restore a cell to its proper size 
and condition after severe fatigue. In other words, 
man is so made that he needs a Sabbath from Saturday 
evening to Monday morning of complete rest to be as 
good as new. Without this he is never at his best, 
physically, mentally, morally or spiritually. So we find 
the fourth commandment is in the nineteenth century 
echoed from the biological laboratory with tremendous 
emphasis, and again we are compelled to admit that He 
who spoke at Sinai must have made the brain cell and 
understood its secret workings. Again is our faith 
made firmer that the Old Book is not wholly man- 
made." 

The Sabbath was made for man, body and soul, as the 
two railway tracks are made for the two wheels, and 
only on the smooth track of God's law can your life run 
smoothly or safely. 



Z^^^^^^t^? 



276 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Be a Sabbath Observer 

A GENTLEMAN who had great respect for the 
Sabbath was going to church. He was a pe- 
culiar man, and would sometimes do and say 
singular things. On his way he met a stranger 
driving a heavily laden wagon through the town. When 
opposite the wagoner, he suddenly stopped, turned 
around, and, lifting up both hands as if in horror, ex- 
claimed, "There, there, you are going over it! There, 
you have gone right over it !" The driver was fright- 
ened, and drew up the horses in an instant, crying: 
**Whoa ! Whoa !" He looked under the wheels, expect- 
ing to see the mangled remains of some innocent child, 
or at least a dog, that had been crushed to death. But, 
seeing nothing, he gazed at the gentleman who had so 
strangely arrested his attention, and anxiously asked: 
"Pray, sir, what have I gone over?" "The fourth 
commandment," was the reply. "Remember the Sab- 
bath day to keep it holy." (Exod. 20: 8). 

This commandment God wrote on "tables of stone" 
(Ex. 24: 12) thousands of years ago, and not only on 
stone but also in man's nature. Sir Robert Peel once 
said he never knew a man to escape failure either in 
mind or in body who worked seven days in the week. 
To observe it is a duty we owe to ourselves and to our 
God. To neglect or disuse it is to incur God's displeas- 
ure and with it the ills incident thereto. 

About a century ago, the National Assembly of 
France, consisting mostly of infidels, abolished the Sab- 

277 



278 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

bath. It was not long, however, before a wail of dis- 
tress went up all over the land, demanding the recogni- 
tion of this "Day of Rest," and obedience to the will of 
God. It is to the credit of our legislators that they 
have never suggested such a thing, yet hundreds and 
even thousands of men and boys desecrate it. But — 

''A 'Sabbath profaned 
Whatever be gained 
Is a certain forerunner of sorrow/' 

A PICTURE, TESTIMONY, FACT. 

Hogarth once painted a beautiful picture in which 
he showed the first step downward of a man who suf- 
fered capital punishment. It represented him when a 
boy playing around the churchyard while the minister 
was preaching. Not that all boys who do so will come 
to the gallows, but all are wending their way downward 
to worse offenses. 

A gentleman who had charge of a prison, in which 
there were more than one thousand prisoners, took 
special pains to ascertain the causes of their crimes. 
He said that he did not recollect a single case of capital 
offense where the party had not been a Sabbath-breaker. 
In many cases the prisoners assured him that Sabbath- 
breaking was the first step in their downward career. 
"Indeed," said he, "nineteen out of every twenty have 
neglected the Sabbath and other ordinances of religion." 

One of the most appalling crimes of the day is Sab- 
bath-desecration. Thousands make it a day of pleas- 
ure. On car and boat, with carriage and bicycle, ex- 
cursions are made. With bat and ball games are played. 
With gun and fishing rod life is taken, all which says, 
"Death to the Sabbath." O, my boy, are you aware 
what that means ? It is an evil influence thrown against 
75,000 Sunday-schools and 800,000 teachers to stop the 



Be a Sabbath Observer 279 

religious instruction of 7,000,000 young people. It is an 
influence arrayed against 60,000 pulpits and 60,000 
trumpets calling sinners to repentance. And more 
than this, it is an influence arrayed against the morality 
and integrity of the nation, for, as Judge McLean of 
the Supreme Court, said, "Where there is no Sabbath, 
there is no Christian morality; and without this, free 
institutions cannot long be maintained." 

A BRAVE BOY. 

One lovely Sunday morning some years ago, eight 
young men were walking along the banks of a stream 
that flows into the Potomac not far from the City of 
Washington. They were going to a grove to spend the 
hours of that holy day in playing cards. Each of them 
carried a flask of wine in his pocket. As they were 
amusing one another with idle jests the bell of a church 
in a little village about two miles away began to ring. 
It sounded in their ears as plainly as though it were 
only on the other side of the little stream along which 
they were walking. Presently one of them stopped, 
and said to his friend near him, that he would go no 
farther, but would return to the village and go to 
church. His friends called to their companions, who 
were a little ahead : ''Boys ! Boys ! come back here. 
George is getting religious. We must help him. Come 
on, and let us baptize him in the water." In a mo- 
ment they formed a circle about him. They told him 
that the only way in which he could save himself from 
having a cold bath was by going with them. In a calm, 
quiet manner he said, "I know very well you have the 
power to put me in the water and hold me there till I am 
drowned ; and if you choose to do so, I will make no re- 
sistance ; but listen to what I have to say, and then do as 
you think best. You all know that I am two hundred 
miles from home ; but you do not know that my mother 



280 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

is a helpless, bed-ridden invalid. I never remember see- 
ing- her out of bed ; I am her youngest child. My father 
could not afford to pay for my schooling, but our 
teacher, who is a warm friend of father's, offered to 
take me without charge. He was very anxious for me 
to come, but mother would not consent. The struggle 
almost cost her her life. At length after many prayers 
she yielded, and said I might go. The preparations 
for my leaving home were soon made. My mother 
never said a word to me on the subject till the morning 
I was to leave. After breakfast she sent for me and 
asked if everything was ready. I told her it was and 
I was only waiting for the stage. At her request I 
knelt down beside the bed. With her loving hands upon 
my head, she prayed for me. Many nights since then 
have I dreamed that whole scene. It is the happiest rec- 
ollection of my life. I believe, till the day of my death 
I shall be able to repeat every word of that prayer. 
When I rose, she said, *My precious boy, you do not 
know, you never can know, the agony of a mother's 
heart in parting from her youngest child. When you 
leave home you will have looked, for the last time, on 
the face of her who loves you as no other mortal does 
or can. Your father cannot afford the expense of your 
making us visits during the two years that your studies 
will occupy. I cannot possibly live as long as that. The 
sands in the hour-glass of my life have nearly run out. 
In the far-off strange place to which you are going there 
will be no loving mother to give you counsel in time of 
trouble. Seek counsel and help from God. Every 
Sabbath morning, from ten to eleven o'clock, I will 
spend the hour in prayer for you, wherever you may be 
during this sacred hour. When you hear the church 
bells ringing let your thoughts come back to the cham- 
ber where your dying mother will be agonizing in 
prayer for you. But I hear the stage coming. Kiss 



Be a Sabbath Observer 281 

me farewell/ Boys, I never expect to see my mother 
again on earth. But, by the help of God, I mean to 
meet her in heaven." 

As George stopped speaking, the tears were stream- 
ing down his cheeks. He looked at his companions. 
Their eyes were all filled with tears. In a moment the 
ring which they had formed around him was opened. 
He passed out and went to church. He had stood up 
for the right against the wrong, with great odds against 
him. They admired him for doing what they had not 
the courage to do. They all followed him to church. 
On their way, each of them quietly threw away his cards 
and wine flask. Never again did any of those young 
men play cards on the Sabbath. From that day they all 
became changed men. Six of them died Christians, the 
seventh, who related this story, has been for years an 
earnest, active member of the church, and George be- 
came an able. Christian lawyer. 

The same is true of you, my boy. You will help or 
hinder, bless or curse, encourage or discourage in pro- 
portion as you live and act on this day. Girard, the 
millionaire of Philadelphia, one Saturday ordered 
all his clerks to come on the morrow to his wharf and 
help unload a newly-arrived ship. One young man re- 
plied quietly: *'Mr. Girard, I can't work on Sundays." 
"You know the rules ?" "Yes, I know, I have a mother 
to support, but I can't work on Sundays." "Well, step 
up to the desk, and the cashier will settle with you." 
For three weeks the young man could find no work, but 
one day a banker came to Girard to ask if he could re- 
commend a man for cashier in a new bank. The dis- 
charged young man was at once named as a suitable 
person. "But," said the banker, "you dismissed him." 
"Yes, because he would not work on Sundays. A m^an 
who would lose his place for conscience's sake would 
make a trustworthy cashier." He was appointed. My 
boy — 



282 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"Dare to do right, dare to do right; 
The world zmll change when you've won the iight. 
Don't mind a laugh, don't mind a slight, 
Dare to do right, dare to do right." 

GOD HALLOWED IT. 

After God made the world and all contained therein, 
we read that He rested. The word "Sabbath" is the 
Hebrew word meaning rest. We are to remember the 
"Rest Day," for God hallowed it and because of this 
the one-seventh of our time is to witness a suspension of 
buying and selling ; a pause in the clatter of the work- 
shop and the anxiety of the desk; and a serious yield- 
ing up of ourselves to devout thought and intelligent 
worship. This day is absolutely necessary. Natural 
science affirms that man and beast require a day of peri- 
odical rest. Florists say that the most prolific plants 
cease to produce beautiful flowers if they are not kept 
from flowering a part of the year. Medical men declare 
that keeping the Lord's Day is of unlimited benefit, and 
that man cannot and should not do without it. When 
Lord Castlereagh broke down from overwork on three 
hundred and sixty-five days per year, and through 
insanity took his own life, Wilberforce exclaimed: 
"Poor Castlereagh, this is the result of the non-observ- 
ance of the Sabbath." 

When John Quincy Adams was Minister to the 
Court of Holland, he joined a society of learned men, 
who met once a week for mutual improvement. Mn 
Adams, though one of the youngest members, soon be- 
came a great favorite. On one occasion the meeting 
was adjourned to Sunday evening. Mr. Adams was 
not there. His fellow-members noticed and regretted 
his absence. On the third Sunday evening it met, Mr. 
Adams' chair was still vacant. Many were surprised 
that he who formerly was so prompt and punctual 



Be a Sabbath Observer 283 

should thus break off. At last the meetings were re- 
turned to a week-day evening, and lo ! Mr. Adams was 
in his place, brilliant and delightful as ever. The mem- 
bers welcomed him back and expressed their sorrow 
that press of business or the duties of his office should 
so long have deprived them of his company. *Tt was 
not business," replied he, "you met on the Lord's day ; 
that is a day devoted to religious uses by me, which 
imparts unspeakable advantages from a faithful observ- 
ance of it." 

James A. Garfield, when President, showed his re- 
spect for this day by never allowing anything to inter- 
fere with his going to church. Like President Hayes 
he would walk in order to give his coachman rest. At 
the Chicago Convention at which Mr. Garfield was 
nominated for the Presidency, many wanted to go on 
with the balloting after midnight of Saturday. Judge 
Hoar, the chairman, was pressed to ignore the Sabbath 
and let the Convention proceed. He replied, "Never ! 
This is a Sabbath-keeping nation, and I cannot pre- 
side over this Convention one minute after twelve 
o'clock." On that Sabbath, Garfield attended church 
and heard a sermon. At dinner the conversation 
turned tipon the suspense of the country. One spoke 
of the deadlock in business created by it; another of 
the suspense in Washington, w^here all were awaiting 
the further developments of the Convention. All said 
something, and when done, Garfield remarked, quietly 
but earnestly, to one sitting beside him : "Yes, this is 
a day of suspense, but it is also a day of prayer, and I 
have more faith in the prayers that will go up from 
Christian hearts to-day than I have in all the political 
tactics which will prevail at this Convention. This is 
the Lord's Day. I have great reverence for it." 

When General Grant was in Paris, the President 
of the Republic, as a special token of respect, invited 



284 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

him to occupy a place on the grand stand to witness 
the great racing which occurs in that country on Sun- 
day. It is considered a discourteous act to decHne such 
an invitation from the head official of the Republic. 
Such a thing had never been heard of, but General 
Grant in a polite note declined the honor, and said to 
the French President, "It is not in accordance with 
the custom of my country or with the spirit of my re- 
ligion to spend Sunday in that way." And when Sab- 
bath came that great hero found his way to the Ameri- 
can chapel, where he was one of its quiet worshippers. 
If such great men believed and obeyed the command of 
God, should not every boy do the same ? 

"keep it holy." 

My boy, keep this day which so many make a day of 
social festivity or pleasure holy. Do so because God 
asks you. Keep it holy by refraining from work or 
pleasure. "I thank God," said Gladstone, "for the 
Sabbath with its rest for the body and soul." Keep it 
holy by attending divine worship. Learn to say with 
David: "How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, O Lord 
of Hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the 
Courts of the Lord." (Psalm 84: i, 2). "I feel," wrote 
Coleridge, "as if God had, by giving the Sabbath, given 
fifty-two springs in the year." Keep it holy by doing 
good, for it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 

It is said that a Spartan youth was holding the censer 
at a sacrifice when Alexander was offering a victim. 
It chanced that while he held it, a hot coal fell upon his 
hand. The youth flinched not, lest by any utterance 
or cry the company would be disturbed ; "for," said he, 
"I am ini the presence of Alexander." So, my boy, 
when tempted to neglect home meditation, the com- 
munion of saints at the church, or the sick or needy 
in their distress, do not do it, remembering you are in 



Be a Sabbath Observer 285 

the presence of Jesus. Keep this day as a day of an- 
ticipation, looking forward to that holy and eternal 
Sabbath that remaineth for the people of God. Keep it, 
honor it, love it, for it is — 

— ''the day that God hath blest, 
The type of heaven's eternal rest." 



CHAPTER XXV 
Be a Church Member 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXV 
By Wayland Hoyt, D. D. 

When once thy foot enters the church, beware, 
God is more there than thou ; for thou art there 
Only by His permission. Then beware; 
And make thyself all reverence and fear. 

— Herbert. 

The boy needs the church and the church needs the hoy. 
Why is it that so many young men are on the downward 
road? Is it because they have either greater temptations or 
less power to resist them than others? Whether it be one 
or both, young men need the fellowship, protection and nur- 
ture of the church. My advice to every boy is, join the 
church. — Alvin A. Cober. 

BE a church member, my boy, because Christ 
commands it; because the church is on the 
winning side ; because it is brave and manly ; 
because to be a member of Christ's church is 
the highest honor. Do not wait about it. Love Christ, 
confess Him by becoming one of His declared people. 
Besides this, what help there is in the companionship of 
the church. 




288 



CHAPTER XXV 
Be a Church Member 

THERE are in the United States about seven 
hundred different kinds of lodges, chapters and 
orders, but not one of them can take the place 
of the church, or do the work this institution 
was designed to do. The church is divine, all other or- 
ganizations man's creation. The latter are temporary, 
the former eternal. 

Sometimes the word church is ill-defined. It is used 
to designate a sect or a place of worship. Instead of 
this, however, it is a people, and a redeemed people, 
though used in this connection with people and place. 
Jesus designated the church nucleus as those whom 
God had given Him out of the world. The first cabinet 
officers were illiterate fishermen who were taught at 
the feet of Jesus, a school infinitely more important than 
any college to-day. So true is this that every sceptical 
antagonist, whether possessed of the learning and gen- 
ius of Voltaire, the brass and audacity of Paine, the pol- 
ished eloquence of Hume, or the wealth and dignity 
of Bolingbroke, has had to bow before it and concede 
that it is all-powerful. And this, because its founder 
Jesus Christ is the center of attraction and the pre- 
dominating influence. 

WHY BOYS DO NOT GO. 

Many boys absent themselves from church. Their 
excuses are without number and many of them with- 
out sense. Burdette, the Christian humorist, asks : 
19 289 



290 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"So you are not going to church this morning, my 
son ? Ah, yes, I see. 'The music is not good ;' that's a 
pity! That's what you go to church for, is it? And 
'the pews are not comfortable.' That's too bad ! the 
Sabbath is a day of rest, and we go to church for re- 
pose. The less we do through the week, the more rest 
we clamor for on Sabbath. 'The church is so far away ; 
it is too far to walk, and I detest riding in a street-car, 
and they're always crowded on the Sabbath.' This is, 
indeed, distressing ! Sometimes when I think how 
much farther away heaven is than the church, and that 
there are no conveyances on the road of any descrip- 
tion, I wonder how some of us are going to get there. 
And 'the sermon is so long always.' All these things 
are, indeed, to be regretted ! I would regret them 
more sincerely, my boy, did I not know that you will 
often squeeze into a stuffed street-car, with a hundred 
other men, breathing an odor of whisky, beer and to- 
bacco, hang on a strap for two miles, and then pay fifty 
cents for the privilege of sitting on a rough plank in the 
broiling sun for two hours longer, while in the inter- 
vals of the game a scratch band will blow discordant 
thunder from a dozen misfit horns right into your ears, 
and come home to talk the rest of the family into a 
state of aural paralysis about the 'dandiest' game you 
ever saw played on that ground." 

WHAT CHURCH GOING DID. 

Ah, my boy, you see what staying away from church 
does. It develops a habit of lying. There isn't one man 
in a hundred who could go on the witness stand and 
give, under oath, the same reasons for not going to 
church that he gives to his family every Sunday morn- 
ing. My son, if you didn't think you ought to go, 
you wouldn't make any excuses for not going. No man 
apologizes for doing right. 



Be a Church Member 291 

A young man from the country went to New York 
to engage in business. The first Sunday he visited the 
old Wall Street church, and was invited by Robert 
Lenox, the president of the Bible Society, to a seat in 
his pew. The next morning he went to buy leather to 
start shoe-making. When he asked for credit, the mer- 
chant asked : **Did I not see you yesterday in Mr. Len- 
ox's pew ?" 'T don't know, sir ; I was at church, and a 
kind gentleman asked me to sit in his pew." *'Yes, 
young man, that was Robert Lenox. I'll trust anyone 
that Mr. Lenox invites into his pew. You need not 
trouble yourself about references. When the goods are 
gone, come and get m.ore." "The attendance at church 
that Sunday," said this young man in after years, "was 
the means of my becoming a prominent successful mer- 
chant, and contributor to the support of God's house." 

A humble brickmason who confessed Christ united 
with His people. Rising in meeting, he stated the rea- 
son that prompted him to this step. 'T used to think," 
he said, "that I could be as good out of the church as 
in it. I felt that I was moral and upright and had as 
clean a character as the next man ; but one day while 
walking by a building under construction, I happened 
to see a new but dirty brick lying in the road useless 
and neglected. 'There,' said I to myself, 'are you, 
Henry Crane, thinking you are as good a brick out of 
the church as if you were in it. But you are of no ac- 
count to anybody, and nobody cares anything for you. 
You are lying around in everybody's way, and nobody 
cares to step over you ; they all tread you down into the 
mud as if you were a stone. If you were built into the 
wall, as you ought to be, you would amount to some- 
thing, and have an honest man's place. Then you 
would be of some use.' So I made up my mind that I 
would not be like that brick any longer. That is why 
I have come out on the Lord's side and joined the Lord's 



292 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

people, that I may be built into the wall and have a 
place in the building of God." 

WH;Y ATTEND AND UNITE WITH THE CHURCH? 

To attend and be a member of a church should be 
considered a pleasure rather than pain, a privilege 
rather than duty. Some boys go because they are com- 
pelled by parents who are members. They laugh and 
talk, instead of worshipping God. Without a blessing 
they enter the sacred place, without a blessing they 
leave. 

The most sacred entrance to the Kremlin, in Moscow, 
is called the "Redeemer Gate," because there is hung 
in it a picture of the Saviour — a picture of great sanc- 
tity. Even the Emperor has to uncover his head as he 
passes through this gate. The passage under the gate 
is long, but even in a terrific snow storm every one is 
compelled to uncover his head. It is said that when 
Napoleon refused to take his hat off while passing be- 
fore the sacred picture, a sudden gust of wind took it 
off for him. God's House is sacred. There He mani- 
fests Himself, having declared, "Ye shall reverence My 
Sanctuary: I am the Lord." (Lev. 19: 30). And Jesus 
said : "My House shall be called the House of prayer." 
(Matt. 21: 13). 

The blessedness derived from attending and uniting 
with the church exceeds the blessedness of everything 
else. God's Word approves it. Nehemiah said, "We 
will not forsake the House of our God." (Neh. 10: 39). 
David said, "How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, O Lord 
of Hosts ! my heart longeth, yea even fainteth for the 
courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out for 
the living God." (Ps. 84: 42). Paul exhorts not to 
forsake "the assembling of ourselves together." (Heb. 
10:25). 

It is at church where God says : "There I will meet 



Be a Church Member 293 

with thee, and I will commune with thee from above 
the mercy seat." (Ex. 25: 22). It is there God pro- 
vides a spiritual feast of good things for the soul. ''He 
brought me," said Solomon, "to the banqueting house 
and His banner over me was love." (Cant. 2:4). It 
is here He reveals His glory : "I will glorify the House 
of My glory," (Isa. 60: 7) said God. Jesus declared, 
'There am I in the midst." (Matt. 18 : 20) . Because of 
this General O. O. Howard stood the scoffs and sneers 
at West Point, and said : "I gripped my Bible, shut my 
teeth and went for my mother's and Jesus' sake." 

To unite with the church is proper and profitable. It 
is one of the ways of confessing Christ. That beautiful 
character, Henry Drummond, united with the church 
at twelve. How interesting to read his first experience 
in taking part in meeting. 'Tn prayer," he wrote, "I 
trembled in voice and all through. Voice seemed not 
my own. I had outlined the prayer during the after- 
noon, but didn't remember it." Little by little however 
he became a man who had great liberty in addressing 
God and pleading with man. 

Many men who live without uniting with the church 
do not want to die out of it. When the great ship- 
builder John Roach was struck with a mortal illness, 
he said. 'T want to be received into the church." Let 
any Christian boy consider carefully that out of seven 
millions of young men in this land, only two-thirds at- 
tend church and only one-twelfth belong, and he will 
say with General Grant when baptized by Bishop New- 
man, "O that I might live for years, that I might show 
the joys of being a consistent member of the church." 
Church relationship, my boy, creates holy desires and 
aspirations, augments power for doing good, throws a 
magic uplifting influence around others and extends the 
kingdom of Christ on earth. 



294 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

RESULTS OF CHURCH RELATIONSHIP. 

The results of church relationship are too numerous 
to mention. To be a church member glorifies God, en- 
larges influence, and leads others into the broad fields 
of usefulness, where God can own and bless. 

In "Darkest Africa," a great man did a great work, 
through loving and uniting with God's people in youth. 
In a little village of Scotland, stood an old church, 
whose pastor had preached therein for many years. 
One Sunday morning he was accosted by one of his 
deacons, whose face wore a very resolute but distressed 
expression. "I came early to meet you," he said, *T 
have something on| my heart to say to you. Pastor. 
There must be something radically wrong in your 
preaching and work; there has been only one person 
added to the church in a whole year, and he only a 
boy." 

The old minister listened. His eyes moistened and 
his thin hand trembled on his broad-headed cane. "I 
feel it all," said he, 'T feel it, but God knows that I 
have tried to do my duty, and I can trust Him for the 
results." *'Yes, yes," said the deacon, "but 'by their 
fruits ye shall know them.' (Matt. 7: 20). One new 
member seems to me a rather slight evidence of true 
faith and zeal. I don't want to be hard ; I have had this 
matter on my heart and I have only done my duty in 
speaking plain." "True," said the old man, "but 'charity 
suffereth long and is kind : beareth all things, hopeth all 
things!' (i Cor. 13: 4, 7). Ay, there you have it: 
*hopeth all things !' I have great hopes of that one boy. 
Some seed that we sow bears fruit late, but its fruit is 
generally the most precious of all." 

The old minister went into the pulpit with a grieved 
and heavy heart, and closed his discourse with dim and 
tearful eyes. He wished that his work was done for- 
ever and that he was at rest under the blooming trees 



Be a Church Member 295 

in the old churchyard. He lingered in the church after 
the rest were gone. He desired to be alone. The place 
was sacred and inexpressibly dear to him. It had been 
his spiritual home from his youth. Before this altar he 
prayed over the dead forms of bygone generations, and 
had welcomed the children of succeeding ones ; and 
now to be told that his work was no longer owned and 
blessed 1 

No one remained, no one? ''Only a boy." He 
watched the trembling man. His soul was filled with 
loving sympathy. He went to him, and laid his hand 
on his black gown. "Well, Robert?" said the minister. 
"Do you think if I were willing to work hard for an 
education, I could ever become a preacher?" "A 
preacher ?" "Perhaps a missionary." There was a long 
pause. Tears filled the eyes of the minister. At length 
he said, "This heals each ache in my heart, Robert. I 
see the divining Hand now. May God bless you, my 
boy. Yes, I think you will become a preacher." 

Some few years ago there returned to London from 
Africa an aged missionary. His name was spoken with 
reverence. When he went into an assembly the peo- 
ple rose ; when he spoke in public there was a deep si- 
lence. Princes stood uncovered before him, nobles in- 
vited him to their homes, and on one occasion he was 
presented with a sum of five thousand guineas in rec- 
ognition of his great services. He had added a prov^" 
ince to the church of Christ on earth ; he had brought 
under the gospel influence the most savage of African 
chiefs ; had given the translated Bible to strange tribes ; 
had enriched with valuable knowledge the Royal Geo- 
graphical Society, and had honored the humble place of 
his birth, the old Scottish church, the United King- 
dom and the universal missionary cause. 

Who was the boy? Who was the minister? The 
latter is forgotten. He sleeps beneath the trees in the 



296 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

humble place of his labors, but men remember his work 
because of what he was to that one boy, and what that 
boy was to the world. ''Only a boy that had joined the 
church," but that boy was the great missionary Robert 
Moffatt. Had he neglected church and mingled with 
bad company and formed bad habits, what a great work 
would have been left undone, what an obscure life he 
would have lived, and the name so universally known 
would never have been uttered with reverence as it is 
now! 

BEE HUNTING. 

Of hunting bees, one writer has said that the manner 
of catching them is very ingenious. He puts a piece 
of honeycomb into a box. Then he catches a bee and 
covers him within the box. As soon as the fright of the 
prisoner is overcome, he moves about, tastes the honey 
and is satisfied. The prison becomes a home. Being 
loosed, he finds his way back to the hive and in a little 
time returns, bringing others with him. He has told 
the secret story of his find to his former associates, and 
they in turn follow him back until the bee-hunter's box 
is filled with a swarm of bees. This is God's appointed 
way of building up His church and saving the race. 
He first reveals Himself to one soul, entrancing him 
with His love and thrilling his soul with the joys of 
-salvation. This one, having tasted the sweetness of 
forgiveness and the joy of hope, goes to another, nar- 
rating his experience and discovery, and he in turn 
finds another, until one by one he brings them into the 
great church hive. Andrew brings Peter, (John i : 41 ) 
Philip brings Nathaniel, (John i: 45) Joel Stratton 
brings Gough, Robert Eaglen brings Spurgeon, and 
you, some other boy. 

O, my boy, attend church regularly. If you are not 
a member, become one. Then tell the story of Jesus and 
His love. Seek to bring others to church, for if the 



Be a Church Member 297 

House of God is the Gate to Heaven, what must Heaven 
be? If the songs of Zion, the gospel preached and 
prayers offered are cheering and helpful, what must it 
be to be in the presence of Him who is the key-note 
of all songs ; the sum and substance of all truth, the 
way, and the life ? Can you not say : 

'7 love Thy church, God; 
Her walls before me stand, 
Dear as the apple of Thine eye, 
And graven on Thy hand. 

For her my tears shall fall; 
For her my prayers ascend; 
To her my cares and toils be given, 
Till toils and cares shall end." 



CHAPTER XXVI 

Be a Worker for Jesus 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXVI 
By C. C. McCabe 

"Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go, 

My daily labor to pursue, 
Thee, only Thee, resolved to know, 
In all I think, or speak, or do." 

The manifold relations that a boy sustains to society forces 
him to labor in many spheres, and each has its special compen- 
sation, but the noblest and best rewarded service is for Jesus. 
Such calls into exercise the purest impulses, inspires the best 
deeds, grants the truest freedom and protects against destroy- 
ing vices, — Nevin B. Mathes. 

YOU cannot serve a better Master. He will set 
you free and keep you so. Any other service 
is slavery — but His service is perfect freedom. 
Work for Him. Let your life count upon the 
side of Christ, and for the welfare of the world. 

You cannot imagine what a glorious destiny is be- 
fore you if you give yourself and your life to Him. 



300 



CHAPTER XXVI 

Be a Worker for Jesus 

THE poet Virgil was said to have cast an en- 
chantment on one of the pubHc gates of Na- 
ples. All who passed the sculptured, smiling 
face on one side prospered, but those who 
passed under the frowning figure on the opposite side 
were doomed from the outset to disaster. Many now 
believe in such superstitious ideas, and **Chance" is 
charged with the ups and downs of thousands. Common 
sense and experience assure us that the one main con- 
dition of success is work. The practical person takes 
no stock in what Shakespeare calls "giddy fortune's 
fickle wheel," but instead relies on ''Heaven helps those 
that help themselves." 

A dying farmer called to his bedside his three lazy 
sons and said to them : *'My sons, a great treasure lies 
hid in the estate which I am about to leave you." 
''Where is it hid?" exclaimed the sons in a breath. "I 
am about to tell you," said the old man, "you will have 
to dig for it — " His breath failed him before imparting 
the weighty secret, and he died. Forthwith the sons 
set to work upon the long-neglected fields. They dis- 
covered no treasure, but they learned to work, and when 
these fields were sown, and the harvest came, the yield 
in consequence of the thorough tilling was prodigious. 
Then was it they discovered the treasure concealed in 
the estate, of which their wise old father had advised 
them. 

The same rule holds good in the work of Jesus. 
Work is ordained by God, and should be ordained by 
us for God. The establishment of the religion of 
Christ in all lands, the numberless churches, the schools 

301 



302 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

of learning and the asylums for the needy owe all to the 
energy and toil of the adherents of Christ. In the Bi- 
ble Christianity is represented as a temple, but Chris- 
tians are the builders. Life is spoken of as a warfare, 
but Christians are the soldiers. Work is shown to be 
the divine test of greatness, but Christians are the 
workers. To simply love God is not sufficient, for love 
must prove itself by labor. To have faith is not enough, 
for "Faith without works is dead." (James 2: 20). It 
is like a fish without water and a watch without springs. 
Philip might have said to Nathaniel : 'T would not be 
surprised if we met Jesus to-day," but the record tells 
us he "findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, *We have 
found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets 
did write.'" (John i: 45). Harlan Page, pressed 
with business cares and battling with ill-health, might 
have said, "Well, now, I believe God will send laborers 
into His vineyard," but he went to work and led a 
hundred young men into the ministry by consecrating 
his personal influence to Christ. 

LAYING BRICKS. 

A little over half a century ago a boy heard his pas- 
tor say to the trustees that he would like a new brick 
walk laid around the old church. They replied it was 
impossible as there were no funds in the treasury. That 
boy wanted to do something for his Master, so he said 
to himself : "I will do what I can to lay the walk about 
the church." He went to a brickyard section of Phila- 
delphia, and asked one of his father's friends to give 
him a thousand brick, of another friend he asked a 
like amount; and another, until he thought he had se- 
cured a sufficient number to complete the walk. He 
then asked some of the men and boys whom he knew 
very well to help place them in position. They did so, 
beginning on Thursday and completing the work at 
half past ten o'clock Saturday night. 



Be a Worker for Jesus 303 

This lad had a great desire to know what the pastor 
would say, so he made his way very early Sunday 
morning to a place where he could see his pastor and 
not be seen by him. Soon after Dr. Chambers came 
down the street and started to go to his study, when he 
realized that his feet were standing on a new pavement. 
He took off his glasses and rubbed them. Putting them 
on he began to walk up and down, first on Sansom and 
then on Broad Street. He made the journey two or 
three times. The young man was soon walking along 
after him apparently unconcerned. The pastor had 
made his last trip over the walk, and turning around 
saw the lad. The tears began to flow as he said, "My 
son, who did this?" The young man looked up and 
said, "Dr. Chambers, I helped to do it." Then Dr. 
Chambers put his hands on the young man's shoulders 
and said, "God bless you, my son, you have made your 
old pastor's heart glad. You have greatly aided me in 
my church work." That boy was John Wanamaker. 

THE COMMAND. 

There is one reason which should prompt every boy 
to work. Jesus says, "Son, go work to-day in My vine- 
yard." (Matt. 21: 28). He has elected boys as well 
as men, and commissioned them to do His will. Note 
the loving title which He uses. "Son." Not slave, or 
servant, but son, thus presenting the fact of near rela- 
tionship. Son, do what? ''Work." That's the philos- 
opher's stone which turns everything to gold, and the 
key that unlocks the treasures of nature. By it the 
muscles are hardened, the intellect strengthened, and 
slumbering genius awakened. "Son, go work !" When? 
"To-day," thus showing it is a present need, for the 
night Cometh when no boy can work. 

Ledyard, on being summoned before the Geographi- 
cal Society of Great Britain was told they desired him 



304 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

to visit and do certain work in Africa. After enumer- 
ating the perils, the exposure, the hard work, they asked 
when he could be ready to start. "To-morrow morn- 
ing," was the reply. The learned men were astonished. 
They thought it would take weeks and months to get 
ready. But God requires even greater promptness than 
Ledyard's. He asks, ''to-day." There's not a moment 
that has not a work assigned to it, and if neglected it is 
left undone forever. Like a ship at sea, with compass 
gone, the boy loses his bearings. It is by the velocity 
with which a ball is shot from a cannon that it is kept 
from the ground. It is by a peculiar law that electricity 
will keep to the wire till it reaches a break, and thus an 
active Christian boy will keep at the Master's work 
until life ends. He will be a Samuel, saying: ''Here 
am I," (2 Sam. 3: 5) and a Paul, "What wilt Thou 
have me to do ?" (Acts 9:6). 

EQUIPMENT. 

God not only calls us to work, but He also has a defi- 
nite work, and equips every worker with ability to do 
that work. It is not sufficient to testify of being saved 
and a willingness to be used by God. No. God has 
something especially for every Christian to do. As 
surely as we have named the name of Jesus, so surely 
have we been called to do His service, — a service that is 
for each one just as definite as for any who have lived 
before us. We may not be able to do what we would 
like, but we can do a great deal more than we do for the 
Master. It is not always — 

— "the good thing we accomplish, but the better thing 

we plan, 
Not achievement but Ideal, is the measure of the man." 

There was a boy who led thousands to Christ. He 
was converted under somewhat peculiar circumstances, 
and owed the beginning of his religious life largely to 



Be a Worker for Jesus 305 

the influence exerted upon him by the silent perform- 
ance of an act of reHgious duty on the part of a room- 
mate and fellow-apprentice. This boy's early years 
were such as to produce a very unquiet conscience, but 
the claims of religion continued to assert themselves in 
his soul amid all his irregularities of conduct. At last 
he began to have longings for a better life. Sometimes 
on a Sabbath he would go away by himself and pray. 
"'I wanted to be a Christian/' he said, *'but knew not 
how. I prayed that the Lord would raise up someone 
in the house to be my guide. I am sure I w^as sincere 
in this, and now came the turning point of my life. The 
gentleman with whom I lived was in need of money, so 
he took another apprentice for the sake of the premium. 
This youth had been religiously educated. The appren- 
tices all slept in the same room. The first time this boy- 
lodged with us he knelt down by his bed and prayed in 
silence. The thought instantly occurred to me as I 
looked with surprise on the youth bending before God, 
that there was the answer to my prayer. So it proved. 
I became acquainted with him and with boyish simplic- 
ity he told me the love of Jesus. It was not long be- 
fore the light of the Gospel shone in my heart." This 
boy that did his duty so silently and unconsciously is 
not known to us, but the boy he led to Christ and who 
became such a great soul-winner was the eloquent 
Henry James. 

Joel Stratton was a poor, unlettered young man, but 
he led the great temperance worker John B. Gough to 
Jesus. It was a kind word and a hearty handshake 
that brought the white-headed, clear-brained, sweet- 
spirited, silver-tongued Bishop Simpson to Christ. 
Robert Eaglen is unknown but for one thing. One day 
standing up in meeting he attempted to preach the gos- 
pel. Before him was Charles Haddon Spurgeon, of 
whom the great evangelist Richard Knill once said: 
20 



3o6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"That voice will be heard by thousands." Knill exacted 
a promise from him, that when he preached in Rowland 
Hill's great chapel in London, he would announce the 
hymn, ''God moves in a mysterious way." This boy 
heard Eaglen give out the text, ''Look unto Me, and, 
be ye saved." (Isa. 45 : 22). Then he caught the eye of 
the speaker looking at him as he cried, "Look ! Look ! 
Look ! only look and be saved." Through that sermon 
Charles Spurgeon became a Christian. At sixteen he 
preached his first sermon. At nineteen he was placed on 
trial as a candidate for a pastorate. He was greeted by 
an audience of two hundred persons to hear the first 
sermon, but before his three months' trial was over, the 
twelve hundred sittings were all taken, and within a 
year the house was enlarged. The Royal Surrey Gar- 
den Music Hall was then engaged while a larger taber- 
nacle was being built. Ten and twelve thousand people 
flocked to hear him. Rich and poor, lords and laborers 
sat at his feet. Men said, "What a brilliant meteor." 
But he proved to be a fixed star. He wrote many books, 
built orphanages until five hundred children were shel- 
tered, erected a college and did a vast amount of good. 
Great honor is his, but how great that of Robert Eaglen 
who led him to Jesus. 

ONE boy's work. 

Mrs. Phoebe Palmer once told of a boy in England 
who went to his pastor and asked him if there was 
something he could do for the Lord. The pastor said, 
"Why, I don't know. I do not think you are capable 
of teaching a class, and hardly old enough to be a judi- 
cious tract distributor. I don't know what you can do." 
"Seems to me," said the boy, "there ought to be some- 
thing for us boys to do." The pastor thought a mo- 
ment and then he asked, "Is your seat-mate in school 
a Christian?" "No, sir, I think not." "Then go to 
work, as the Lord shall show yoii how, and get him 



Be a Worker for Jesus 307 

converted. Then take another and another. I cannot 
tell you exactly what to do, but if you pray, the Saviour 
will show you how to get them saved." Some months 
after when Mrs. Palmer was holding meetings in that 
place, this boy was lying very ill. The doctors gave 
him up to die. His father went to the afternoon meet- 
ing, and coming home, the boy roused up and asked: 
''Was Ned Smith at the meeting this afternoon?" 
"Yes, my son." "Did he give his heart to the Lord Je- 
sus Christ?" "No, I think not." "Oh, dear," said the 
dying boy, "I thought he would." 

The next day his father again went to the meeting. 
When he came home the son asked him the same ques- 
tion and expressed the same disappointment that his 
friend was not converted. The third day he asked the 
same question and received a different answer. "Yes, 
Ned gave his heart to the Saviour this afternoon." "I 
am so glad," was the answer. After his death, his pa- 
rents opened a little box he kept near him, and found 
a piece of paper with forty boys' names written upon it. 
The first one was his seat-mate at the time when he went 
to the pastor and asked for something to do for the 
Lord ; the last name was that of Ned Smith. Every boy 
on the list v/as converted. He had taken them one by 
one in faith and prayer, giving them books to read, 
showing them texts of scripture, taking them to church 
and talking to them about their sins and how Christ 
would forgive them, and the whole forty had been con- 
verted through his efforts. 

THE KIND OF A WORKER. 

There is plenty of work a boy can do' for Jesus. 
There are tracts to distribute, acts of love to be shown to 
the sick and aged. There are boys who can be influ 
enced to go to Sunday-school and church. Beethoven's 
maxim was, "Not a day without a line," and the boy's 
should be, "Every day this one thing I do, something to 



3o8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

lead a soul nearer to Jesus." Be a patient and careful 
worker. ''The one prudence in life," said Ralph Waldo 
Emerson, ''is concentration ; the one evil is dissipation." 
Paul's exhortation to Timothy was, "Show thyself ap- 
proved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be 
ashamed," (2 Tim. 2: 15), a first-class workman. To be 
this demands judicious planning and careful executing. 
It is not so much the amount done, but the way in which 
it is done. A right motive to a right way is found in 
the fact: "Thou God seest me." (Gen. 10: 13)., 

Hooker, speaking of Edward VI. said, "He died 
young but lived long, if life be action." John Sum- 
merfield was but twenty-seven when he died, yet with 
a frail body, he lived long enough to tell the Gospel 
message to the whole English-speaking race of his 
time. "So little done, so much to do," said Cecil 
Rhodes on his death-bed. Though a man of affairs 
and a prodigious worker he sorrowed over the fact that 
he was leaving much unaccomplished. One of Na- 
poleon's dying veterans received on the battlefield the 
grand cross of the "Legion of Honor" from the Em- 
peror's hand and said "Now I die satisfied." My boy, 
may you be enrolled in God's Legion of Honor. Let 
nothing discomfort you. Make condition your bond 
slave, grasp opportunity by the forelock and work out 
destinies in sunshine and darkness, so that you may 
hear the Master's voice after the labor and battles of 
life are o'er. 

"Go labor on; spend and he spent 

The joy to do the Father's will; 
It is the way the Master went; 

Should not the servant tread it still? 

Toil on, and in thy toil rejoice! 

For toil comes rest, for exile home; 
Soon shalt thou hear the Bridegroom s voice, 

The midnight peal: 'Behold, I come!'" 



CHAPTER XXVII 

Be a Witness for Jesus 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXVII 
By H. W. Warren 



M 



Y family and I were in Copenhagen one Fourth 
of July, so we hung our American flag out of 
the window of the hotel. Up came the 
United States consul, saying: 'T knew there 
must be some good Americans behind that flag." How 
glad we were to see one of our countrymen in a strange 
land. What favors he showed us and what honors he 
caused to come to us. 

We belong to a better country. Let us hang out the 
flag. The King of the country said : 'Tf any man serve 
Me, him will My Father honor," (John 12: 26) and 
*'He that shall confess Me before men, him will I con- 
fess also before My Father which is in heaven." 
(Matt. 10: 32). What is your name? Be it John, 
Henry or whatever else, how pleasant to hear it con- 
fessed in that place, that company and by that royal 
King. 

It is not merely there and then that our names are 
confessed, but here and now : the Spirit beareth wit- 
ness in our hearts that we are the children of God. 
The Holy Ghost is a witness to us now, as really as 
we are witnesses for God. Mutual relations are best 
relations. Abel obtained witness that he was right- 
eous ; so may we. 



^.or.m 



^Pl^.'t/^-^''*^^ 



310 



CHAPTER XXVII 

Be a Witness for Jesus 

IN city courtrooms there is a certain stand known 
as the "witness stand," from which individuals 
give evidence for or against the accused whose 
trial is pending. Sometimes the evidence is the 
means of convicting and sometimes freeing the ac- 
cused. Before giving the testimony, however, they are 
required on oath to tell ''the truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth." 

In like manner this world is one large courtroom, 
and there are many witnesses testifying daily for or 
against right, truth and Christ. Every political party 
is championed by witnesses who talk and vote for it. 
Satan has his witnesses and they are easily distin- 
guished. The world has its witnesses. They run after 
the follies and amusements of this life, all of which 
leave an aching void. And why should not Christ, who 
is pure, kind, loving and helpful have witnesses ? *'Ye 
are My witnesses, saith the Lord." (Isa. 43: 10). To 
be a true Christian is to be a witness for Jesus. 

A BRAVE WITNESS. 

When Frederick the Great of Prussia was ridiculing 
Christ and Christianity before a company of jolly no- 
bles and officers of the army, there was one brave gen- 
eral who remained gloomily silent. It was Joachim 
von Zietan, one of the ablest and bravest officers pres- 
ent. Rising and shaking his gray head solemnly, he 
said to the King: "Your Majesty knows well in war 

311 



/ 



312 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

I have never feared any danger, and everywhere I have 
boldly risked my life for you and for my country. But 
there is One above us who is greater than all men. 
He is my Saviour and Redeemer, who has died for 
Your Majesty, and has dearly bought us all with His 
own blood. That Holy One I can never allow to be 
mocked or insulted, for on Him I repose my faith, my 
comfort and my hope in life and death. In the power 
of this faith your brave army has courageously fought 
and conquered. If Your Majesty undermines this 
faith, you undermine at the same time the welfare of 
your State. I salute Your Majesty." Frederick looked 
at the man in admiration, and in the presence of the il- 
lustrious company, apologized for what he had said. 
So no boy ever stands for Jesus, but that he awakens 
in the heart of those who make light of spiritual mat- 
ters a sense of honor and respect for him and his tes- 
timony. 

HOW TO WITNESS FOR JESUS. 

It is not every one who says the most that does the 
most good. Actions speak louder than words. Nearness 
to Christ means Christ shining in the life. Seneca said 
regarding the quality of life: "It is the bounty of na- 
ture that we live, but of philosophy that we live well." 
Paul said, ''I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." 
(Gal. 2: 20). "You may depend upon it," says Lava- 
tar, "that he is a good man whose intimate friends are 
good," and no friend is so good or dear as Jesus. 
Every boy should witness for Christ because wicked 
men oppose the work He wrought. From the trial of 
Christ to the present, there have been those who have 
ridiculed His blessed atonement. They have uttered 
blasphemous epithets and have advanced many argu- 
ments to demolish the church He organized. Every 
manner of persecution has been hurled against His 



Be a Witness for Jesus 313 

people. Yet in spite of fire, sword, rack and thumb- 
screw the adherents of Jesus number more than ever 
before. Atheists and infidels have warred against the 
Christian religion, but we are living witnesses against 
them and their theories, "Their rock is not as our Rock, 
even our enemies themselves being judges." (Deut. 
32:31). 

BEECHER AND INGERSOLL. 

Colonel Ingersoll was one day in the society of 
Henry Ward Beecher and four or five gentlemen, all 
of whom were prominent in the world of literature. 
Several dififerent topics were discussed with decided 
brilliancy, but no allusion was made to religion. The 
distinguished infidel was too polite to introduce the sub- 
ject, but one of the party finally desiring to see a tilt 
between Mr. Ingersoll and Mr. Beecher made a playful 
remark about Colonel IngersoU's idiosyncrasy, as he 
termed it. The Colonel at once defended his views 
with his usual apt rhetoric and eloquence. He was met 
by several gentlemen in very efifective repartee. Con- 
trary to the expectations of all Mr. Beecher remained 
an abstracted listener. The gentleman who introduced 
the topic with hope that Mr. Beecher would answer 
Colonel Ingersoll, at last remarked, "Mr. Beecher, have 
you nothing to say on this question ?" 

The old man slowly lifted himself from his attitude 
and replied, "Nothing, in fact. If you will excuse me 
for changing the conversation, I will say that while you 
gentlemen were talking, my mind was bent on a most 
deplorable spectacle which I witnessed to-day." "What 
was it?" at once inquired Colonel Ingersoll, who, not- 
withstanding his peculiar views of the hereafter, was 
noted for his kindness of heart. "Why," said Mr. 
Beecher, "as I was walking I saw a poor blind man 
with crutches, slowly and carefully picking his w^ay 
through a morass of mud in the endeavor to cross 



314 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

the street. He had just reached the middle of the filth 
when a big, burly ruffian rushed up to him, jerked the 
crutches from under the unfortunate man and left him 
sprawling and helpless in the pool of liquid dirt, which 
almost engulfed him." **What a brute he was !" said the 
Colonel. ''What a brute he was !" they all echoed. 
"Yes," said the old man, rising from his chair and 
brushing back his long, white hair, while his eyes glit- 
tered with his old-time fire, as he bent them on Inger- 
soll, "yes, Colonel Ingersoll, and you are the man. The 
human soul is lame, but Christianity gives it crutches 
to enable it to pass the highway of life. It is your 
teaching that knocks these crutches from under it and 
leaves it a helpless and rudderless wreck in the slough 
of despond. If robbing the human soul of its only sup- 
port on earth be your profession, ply it to your heart's 
content. It requires an architect to erect a building; 
an incendiary may reduce it to ashes." 

The old man sat down and silence brooded over the 
scene. Colonel Ingersoll found that he had a master in 
his own power of illustration and said nothing. The 
company took their hats and departed. Unbelief may 
scoff but it cannot controvert the fact, Jesus saves to the 
uttermost all who come unto Him. 

WHAT OTHERS SAY. 

A boy should witness for Christ, for as master minds 
declare. His character is spotless. Christ stands the 
ideal among men. The Roman centurion called Him: 
"The Son of God" (Matt. 2y\ 54) ; Judas, "The in- 
nocent blood," (Matt. 27: 4) ; Pilate, "The Man with- 
out fault" (Luke 23: 4) ; Josephus, "The wise man" 
and Celsus, "The miracle-working magician." Diderot 
the atheist speaking of the history calls it "The unsur- 
passed story." Napoleon declared Christ to be "The 
Emperor of Love;" John Stuart Mill "The guide of 



Be a Witness for Jesus 315 

humanity;" Renan *'The greatest among the sons of 
men ;" Robert Owen 'The irreproachable ;" Theodore 
Parker 'The youth with God in his heart ;" to which 
milHons add, He "is all and in all," (Col. 10: 32) ''and 
over all, God blessed for ever." 

THE PROMISE. 

A boy should witness for Christ because Christ has 
promised to witness for him before His Father. "Who- 
soever therefore," said He, "shall confess Me before 
men, him will I confess before My Father which is in 
heaven." (Matt. 10: 32). Dr. Theodore Cuyler says 
the word "confession" is a very deep and far-reaching 
one. It refers to the heart, then to the lips, and then to 
the daily life. Whoever would be saved must embrace 
Christ in the heart ; this signifies conversion. Next 
we must acknowledge Him with the life ; this 
is what is usually styled "a profession of faith." 
Above all, those who make this open confession are ex- 
pected to honor Christ by obedience to His command- 
ments ; this is vital Christianity. To all who honestly 
make confession Christ has promised He will own as 
"His brethren and chosen" in this world and in the next. 

It was a drummer boy by the name of Charlie Cous- 
ton that led the great Dr. Roosvalley to Christ. After 
the battle of Gettysburg this boy was so frightfully 
wounded that it necessitated the amputation of an arm 
and leg. When chloroform was about to be adminis- 
tered he politely refused it. The doctor asked the rea- 
son. "Doctor," said he, "one Sunday afternoon in the 
Sabbath-school when I was nine and a half years old, 
I gave my heart to Christ. I have been trusting Him 
ever since, and I know I can trust Him now. He is my 
strength and stimulant. He will support me while you 
amputate my arm and leg." The doctor asked if he 
would take a little brandy. Looking up, the lad an- 



3i6 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

swered, "Doctor, when I was about five years old my 
mother knelt by my side with her arm about my neck, 
and said, 'Charlie, I am praying to Jesus that you may 
never know the taste of strong drink. Your papa 
died a drunkard, and I promised God, if it was His will 
that you should grow up, that you should warn young 
men against the bitter cup.' I am now seventeen years 
of age, but I have never tasted anything stronger than 
tea or coffee ; and as I am in all probabiHty about to go 
into the presence of God, would you send me there 
with brandy on my stomach?" 

The operation began. While cutting through the 
flesh Charlie never groaned, but when the surgeon 
took the saw to separate the bone, the lad took the 
corner of the pillow in his mouth, and prayed: "Oh, 
Jesus, blessed Jesus, stand by me now." Five days 
after this, Charlie sent for Dr. Roosvalley, to whom he 
said, "Doctor, my time has come. I do not expect to 
see another sunrise, but thank God I am ready to go; 
before I die I desire to thank you with all my heart for 
your kindness to me. Doctor, you are a Jew, you do 
not believe in Jesus ; will you please stand here and see 
me die, trusting my Saviour to the last moment of my 
life?" 

The doctor remained. Taking his hand Charlie con- 
tinued : "Doctor, I love you because you are a Jew ; 
the best friend I have found in this world was a Jew." 
Dr. Roosvalley asked who was that. Charlie an- 
swered : "Jesus Christ, to whom I want to introduce 
you before I die, and will you promise me that what I 
am about to say, you will never forget?" The sur- 
geon promised. "Five days ago," said the dying boy, 
"while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the 
Lord Jesus Christ to convert your soul." The boy 
soon died, and the words had their effect, for the sur- 
geon soon became a Christian. 



Be a Witness for Jesus 317 

About eighteen months later, Dr. Roosvalley at- 
tended a prayer meeting in Brooklyn. Among those 
who gave their testimony was an elderly lady who 
said, "Dear friends, this may be the last time I shall 
have the privilege of testifying for Christ. My family 
physician told me yesterday that my right lung is 
nearly gone, and my left one is very much affected ; I 
have but a short time to be with you, but what is left 
of me belongs to Jesus. Oh ! it is a great joy to know 
that I shall meet my boy with Jesus in heaven. My 
son was not only a soldier for his country, but a soldier 
for Christ. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettys- 
burg, and fell into the hands of a Jewish doctor who 
amputated his arm and leg, but he died five days after 
the operation. The Chaplain wrote me a letter and 
sent me my boy's Bible. In the letter he informed me 
that my Charlie said to the Jewish doctor : ''Doctor, be- 
fore I die, I wish to tell you that five days ago, while 
you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord 
Jesus Christ to convert your soul." No sooner had 
these words fallen from her lips, than the doctor left his 
seat, crossed the room and taking her hand said, "God 
bless you, my sister, your boy's prayer was heard and 
answered. I am the Jewish doctor for whom your 
Charlie prayed. His Saviour is now my Saviour." 

Oh, my boy, there is no need of your living or dy- 
ing without doing what Charlie Coulston did. Some- 
one is waiting for your advice and invitation to come to 
Christ. While a lad was showing Mr. Charles Spur- 
geon to a church where he was to preach he was asked, 
"Do you love your Master?" The boy stopped and 
said, "Mr. Spurgeon, for years I have shown minis- 
ters to the church, and not one has ever asked me that 
question." The result was a new life for Christ. 

If my boy, you would influence others to love and 
live for Christ you must do as the gifted young preacher 



3i8 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Tyng exhorted his friends to do. He had met with an 
accident that cut short his glorious career. When 
about to die there gathered around him the young men 
who had ralhed at his trumpet call, and lifting his 
wounded arm, he said, "Young men, I am about to die. 
Stand up for Jesus." The sentence rang out on the air 
and did not cease ringing. It was printed in large capi- 
tal letters, placarded in church vestries in many de- 
nominations, and became the rallying cry of thousands. 
My boy, stand up for Jesus ; 

— ''the strife will not he long, 
This day the noise of battle, 
The next the victor s song; 
To him that overcometh 
A crown of life shall be; 
He with the King of Glory 
'Shall reign eternally." 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

Be Loving 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXVIII 

By Warren Randolph 

Love is the root of creation ; God's essence. — Longfellow. 

Love ! what things are wrapped up in this word. Joy is love 
exulting. Peace is love in repose. Long suffering is love un- 
tiring. Gentleness is love enduring. Temperance is love in 
training. Meekness is love under discipline. Goodness is love 
in action. Therefore my boy be loving, for "not to know love 
is not to live." — C. C. Cissell. 

IT has been well said that the three elements of man- 
liness are love, principle and courage. Every- boy 
knows that without the two latter he cannot suc- 
ceed. But boys are too apt to think that to "be 
loving" belongs to girls. Analyze a great man's char- 
acter and you will find love is the main-spring of his 
action. To be loving and lovable will give him a 
stamp which will pass current the world over. 




320 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
Be Loving 

IT is related of the Apostle John that when old and 
feeble he was borne by his disciples to the House 
of God, where, spreading his hands, he addressed 
the people again and again : "Love one another." 
(i John 4: 7). When asked why he repeated it sq 
often, he answered: ''Because there is nothing else, 
attain that and you have enough." 

Love is the greatest thing in the world, the pivot on 
which the commandments turn, the pillar of the Chris- 
tian religion and the keystone in the arch of our sal- 
vation. It is a height without top, depth without bottom, 
and length and breadth without boundary. It will not 
yield to bribes or threats, cannot be burnt by fire, sub- 
merged by billows or restrained by castle bars, but 
shines in patriotism, bleeds in sacrifice and dies in 
atonement. 

To define love is impossible. It cannot be framed in 
sentences. Language is inadequate to express the 
feelings prompted by it. No philosopher can explain 
its whens, whys and wherefores. No geologist can un- 
earth its footprints. No rhetorician can find a fit garb 
to clothe it. Artists cannot sketch it, scribes cannot 
pen it, nor can death destroy it. 

THE LAW OF LOVE, THE RULE OF LIFE. 

Love is a social virtue, ''the soul of life." It is the 
underlying principle of voluntary associations and is 
the governing force of action. In its relation to eti- 
21 321 



322 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

quette it is courtesy, **Love doth not behave itself un- 
seemly." (i Cor. 13 : 5). Politeness has been defined as 
love in trifles, courtesy as love in little things. In social 
standing it is another word for a real gentleman. 
^'Gentleman" has been defined as a man who does 
things gently, with love. In its relation to God it is 
self-sacrifice. '*To be great-hearted, for the love we 
bear to our Master, and in imitation of Him, is ideal 
Christianity, for it is the religion of Him whose life and 
death were self-sacrifice." Such love lightens the bur- 
dens of other lives, sweetens their toils and imparts mu- 
sic with every step. Such love begets love, It knows 
no discouragements and what it does is done gratui- 
tously. To love thus is to live. Said Phillips Brooks, 
*'Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do 
them beautifully." 

When the noted Dr. George Shrady went on a vaca- 
tion in the mountains he left orders not to be called to 
do professional work on any account. While resting in 
a hammock a barefoot boy accompanied by his grand- 
mother! came to him. 'T could not keep him away, 
doctor," said the aged woman, ''he heard that you were 
here, that you were the greatest doctor in the whole 
world. He said that you could cure him and make him 
like other boys. I told him he had no money and could 
not come ; that you would not bother with him, but he 
said he knew you would cure him. So here he is, sir." 
The doctor, moved by his simple faith, helplessness, 
poverty and rags, prescribed for him. He gave him two 
weeks of careful treatment, at the end of which he was 
able to romp in the fields strong and well. When 
Thanksgiving came, the Doctor received by express a 
rude box. On opening it, he found a large turkey to 
which a card was attached with the words : ''Dear Doc- 
tor : Here is a nice fat turkey for you. It's the best I 
could send. I love you for your love to me." The 



Be Loving 323 

gift and message imparted a new feature in the doc- 
tor's life. He saw rising above honor, riches or repu- 
tation, love, the snmmiim bonmn, the greatest thing 
in the world. 

WHOM TO LOVE. 

By creation and birth, we are members of one com- 
mon family, and are under obligations to feel and care 
for each other. This principle is like a cord binding 
heart to heart. Where it exists it proves itself by the 
fruit it bears. ''They do not love who do not show 
their love." Love is often blind to faults and failings. 
"Love suffereth long and is kind." (i Cor. 13: 4). 
While in battle Alexander the Great received a cut in 
the forehead, which left an ugly scar. Years after an 
eminent artist was requested to paint his portrait, but 
did not wish to show the scar. In order to make a per- 
fect likeness and hide the deformity, he sketched the 
emperor leaning on his elbow, with his forefinger on 
his brow, thus covering the defect. So love, in tone, 
word, look and gesture, often "hideth a multitude 
of sins." (James 5: 20). 

Love God. This should be the greatest aim of life. 
"God is love," (i John 4: 8), and He commended 
"His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, 
Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8). During the reign 
of terror in France a young man named LoizeroUes 
was condemned to death. His aged father would not 
allow himself to be separated from his son, but accom- 
panied him to prison. When the jailor a few days later 
presented himself at the door and called out the names 
of those who were to be executed, this aged man an- 
swered for his son who was asleep, and was led away 
to the scaflFold. As that father gave his life for his son, 
Jesus gave His life that every boy should have life 
everlasting. For this consideration, should He not re- 
ceive our love^ Should we not love Him as He de- 



324 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

mands "with all the heart, and with all the soul, and 
with all the mind, and with all the strength?" (Mark 
12: 30). 
K^' Love your parents. Great is the love and many the 
sacrifices made by them for a child. From early morn- 
ing till late at night they plan and labor for his wel- 
fare. Is it any more than right that he love them in 
return ? To be disrespectful and ungrateful is to invite 
and incur God's displeasure, but to be loving and du- 
tiful is to gain heaven's approval and increased parent- 
al affection. Filial reverence is one of the best evi- 
dences of a loving heart, and he who loves God loves 
his parents. 

Love your enemies. No counsel need be given to 
love one's friends, for friendship indicates love. To 
love an enemy seems hard, but it can be done, and 
nothing so changes enmity into friendship as love. 
Love cannot confine itself to the bosom that cherishes 
it It must reveal itself in deeds of kindness. Dur- 
ing the Revolutionary War, a Dunkard leader named 
Miller was grievously insulted by a man named Wid- 
man, who was afterwards sentenced to be hung as a 
British spy. Miller went a long distance to petition 
Washington to spare his life. The commander-in- 
chief said: "I would like to release Widman, because 
he is your friend ; but I cannot, even for that consider- 
ation." "Friend !" cried Miller, "why, he's my worst 
enemy, and therefore I want to save him." 

"Love makes excuses where she might condemn; 
Reviled hy those that hate her, love prays for them; 
Suspicion lurks not in her artless breast. 
The worst suggested, she believes the best. 
Not soon provoked, however stung and teased, 
And, if perhaps made angry, soon appeased. 
She rather waives than will dispute her right, 
And, injured, makes forgiveness her delight." 



Be Loving 325: 

Love everybody. "Beloved," said John, "if God 
so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (i 
John 4: 11). It is not a question of color, education 
or social position, but the relationship God has made be- 
tween us. "And hath made of one blood all nations of 
men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth." (Acts 
17: 26). One of the hieroglyphics of Egypt repre- 
sents a child with a heart in his hand giving honey to 
a bee that has no wings with which to fly from flower 
to flower in quest of honey. The child represents the 
humility of love, the heart cheerfulness of love, and 
the giving of honey to the wingless bee the helpless- 
ness and worthiness of the object of love. The oppor- 
tunity to exemplify love in its various forms comes 
often. Go, my boy, through life scattering flowers in 
everyone's pathway. Encourage the struggling, anoint 
the suffering, assist the needy, "and you will break open 
barred hearts, melt into m.oral pliability iron wills and 
lead souls to Christ. 



Years ago at Evanston a young man was preparing 
for the ministry. He was the room-mate of the elo- 
quent Dr. Spencer of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
He was a frail lad, but a good swimmer. It was his 
delight to give exhibitions of his skill in the boisterous 
lake. One night, ten miles out, a steamer with four 
hundred passengers was wrecked. Next morning all 
was excitement in the village. Two hundred men 
volunteered for service, among them this young man. 
A rope was put around his waist, that his frail body 
might be recovered should he be killed by the floating 
pieces of wreckage. Backward and forward he went 
for six hours, helping to save human life. Through 
his great familiarity with the surf he was enabled to 
do more than all the rest together. Out of four hun- 
dred passengers, only thirty came through the break- 



326 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ers alive, and of these, seventeen were saved by this 
youth. Between his journeys he stood before a blaz- 
ing fire, covered with blankets. But each time an un- 
fortunate one came near the breakers, he threw off his 
incumbrances and plunged again into the water. At 
first he wore the rope around his arm, but, coming to 
a piece of debris to which a drowning person was 
clinging, the wreckage struck him in the face. The 
crowd on shore, alarmed for his safety, commenced 
pulling in the line prematurely, before he had laid hold 
of the drowning person. Throwing off the rope, he 
clutched the man and brought him safely ashore. 
Walking up the beach, he saw a gentleman sitting in 
an elegant carriage, who had evidently come to the 
beach with his coachman from his suburban home, and 
going to him said : "These people have almost killed me 
and another accident may take my life without my 
having done my work. Will you consent to manage 
the rope, not allowing the people to pull until I give the 
signal? If you do this, you shall have half of the 
credit for anything I may be able to do/' The gentle- 
man consented, and for five hours managed the rope. 
The last person saved that day was a man who was 
coming ashore in a difficult part of the surf, where the 
bank was high and precipitous. Those who came to 
this part of the surf were absolutely lost, as it seemed 
more than a man's life was worth to save them. This 
youth saw this man clinging to a piece of wreck while 
with the other he held a bundle. 

A sudden lift of the waves brought the man and the 
raft into full view, and there streamed out from the 
bundle a tress of hair. ''Cost what it may, I will save 
that man or die in the attempt," said he, "he is trying 
to save his wife." He ran down the beach, following 
the retreating wave, kept down as closely as possible 
to the sand, and let the return wave pound him. When 



Be Loving 327 

next seen, he was far out in the water. He swam to 
the piece of raft to which the two were cHnging. When 
within six or eight feet of them, the man cried out: 
''Save my wife ! save my wife !" The brave swimmer 
said: ''Yes, I'll save your wife and you also." Fas- 
tening his hands in their clothing at the back of their 
necks, he said: "I can sustain you in the water, but 
you must swim for your lives and mine. We must 
push northward to get beyond this dangerous surf, 
if we are to be saved at all." To the joy of the specta- 
tors, he came safely to shore with both unfortunates, 
for whom he had so bravely imperilled his life. Into 
that one day he put the struggle of his life. Finally he 
collapsed and was put to bed. As his room-mate min- 
istered to him, he looked up and said, "Did I do my 
best? Did I do my best?" Yes, he did his best as true 
love always does. There is no journey too long, no 
effort too hard, no suffering too intense, no sacrifice 
too great for it to make. As with this youth, so may 
it be with your — 

''impassion' d soul; 
Not as with many a mere part 
Of its existence, hut the whole; 
The very life-breath of the heart.'* 

THE DURATION OF LOVE. 

Love is eternal. All else shall fail, but "Love never 
faileth." (i Cor. 13: 8). Wendell Phillips sang of a 
past golden age, and told in silvery eloquence of things 
now lost. Lost the instruments for lifting the pyra- 
midal stones to their place. Lost the secret of an- 
nealing glass, and Tyrian colors undimmed by cen- 
turies. Lost the art of making the Damascus blade, 
whose elasticity would permit the point and hilt to 
kiss each other. Lost the ancient races of Israel, an- 
cient cities, ancient books, ancient languages, but love 
still remains. 



328 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

So great are our mental powers that we can con- 
ceive of the time according to scientific enumeration 
and declaration when the oil wells of the world shall 
cease, when all the precious metals shall have been 
dug and coined, when the sun shall have burnt out, 
yes, and by the transforming power of the coming 
Christ, the faith of Christians shall be changed into 
sight and hope blossom into fruition. Then, even then, 
love shall forever exist. 

Cultivate love, my boy. ''Men will not bow down 
to crowned power, or philosophic power, or aesthetic 
power, but in the presence of a great soul filled with 
vigor of inspiration and glowing with love man will 
do obeisance." Frank Bragg was only fifteen years of 
age when he lay dying in Paducah hospital. He had 
fought as one of Birge's sharpshooters. As the dew 
of death gathered on his brow, he said, "O, I'm going 
to die, and there is no one to love me." The nurse 
told him that he had many friends and that God loved 
him. "Yes," said he, 'T am not afraid to die, but I 
want someone to love me." "Frank," said the nurse, 
"I love you." She kissed his pale forehead. "Kiss 
me again," he said, "that was given so like my sister." 

Did you ever think how many struggling hearts, sin- 
ful hearts, disconsolate hearts are saying: "No one 
loves me?" It remains with you, my boy, to sweeten 
many a bitter cup, cast sunshine into many a darkened 
soul, extract the thorn of anguish from many a sad 
"heart, and make life worth living by expressing what 
John Waterhouse and David Cargill did to the canni- 
bals of the Fiji Islands : "My love to you." Love in 
Jesus Christ, for love is the — 

''golden charm that binds 
The happy souls above, 
And he's an heir of heaven that finds 
His bosom How with love." 



CHAPTER XXIX 
Be Hopeful 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXIX 

By H. L. Hastings 

Hope leads from goal to goal, 
And opens still, and opens on the soul; 
Till lengthen'd on to faith, and unconfin'd, 
It pours the bliss that fills up all the mind. 

—Pope. 

Where there is no hope, there can be no endeavor or cau- 
tion. — Johnson. 

OWLS hoot in the night ; larks sing in the morn- 
ing. The children of darkness riot and 
groan in their gloom. The children of Hght 
have "Songs in the night," (Job 35: 10), 
and "Joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30: 5). 
God stands by those who stand by Him. If you hope 
in God, your hopes will never fail. He promises us 
the life that now is, and that which is to come. He 
can make this life a life of gladness, and the everlast- 
ing life a life of endless peace and pleasure. 

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
peace in believing that ye may abound in hope, through 
the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15: 13). 




330 



CHAPTER XXIX 
Be Hopeful 

LIFE properly belongs to the hopeful. It has 
been said that a pessimist is one who has the 
choice of two evils and takes them both. A 
discouraged man is defeated before he begins. 
When a boy, Peter Cooper had few school privi- 
leges. His father being a hatter, he was set to work 
pulling the hair from rabbit skins to obtain material 
with which to make hats. His health was poor and 
though having but "half a chance," at seventeen he 
resolved to work for himself. At this time he was liv- 
ing at Peekskill. Thence he went to New York, where 
he apprenticed himself to a carriage-maker for five 
years for board and two dollars a month. He had 
neither time nor money for what the world calls pleas- 
ure, but he had the pleasure of hope. While working 
for fifty cents a week he resolved : "If ever I get rich 
I will build a place where the poor boys and girls of 
New York may have an education free." He then 
entered the grocery trade and made some money ; then 
a glue factory, where he became rich. In 1854 the ob- 
ject of his hope was commenced and finished at a cost 
of $800,000. "The great object that I desire to ac- 
complish," said he, "by the erection of this institution 
is to open the avenues of scientific knowledge to the 
youth of our city and country, and so unfold the vol- 
ume of nature that the youth may see the beauties of 
creation, enjoy its blessings and learn to love the Au- 

331 



332 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

thor from whom cometh every good and perfect gift." 
It is a source of consolation to know that, in what- 
ever circumstance a boy may be placed, there is, amidst 
the desolate and cheerless scenes a harbinger of com- 
fort, a helm to keep his course in the right channel, 
and a north star on which to fix his eyes, namely, hope. 
Without it, the world would be desert and man the 
most wretched of all God's creatures. With it, aspira- 
tion clings to some tangible reality as the ivy's ten- 
dril to the oak. There may be failures, but hope be- 
lieves in final success. It whispers, ''nothing is impos- 
sible;" smiles serenely on the struggling, sustains the 
aspiring and cheers with a vivacity of assurance that 
portends success. As such it lit the lantern upon the 
ship of Columbus, waved the torch before Bacon as he 
descended into Nature's laboratory, supported the steps 
of Newton when he wandered into the dim solitude of 
unknown worlds, sprinkled the canvas of Titian with 
purple lines of summer, sent Watts' engine snorting 
along the rails and Fulton's steamboat puffing up the 
Hudson. 

WHAT IS HOPE? 

Hope is a beautiful word. Its definition makes every 
bosom bound and burn. It is called "Music to the 
ear of the young ;" "health to the sick ;" "the birthright 
of all ;" "the soul's most effective impulse," and a "glo- 
rious expectation." To the warrior it is the victor's 
wreath, amulet and medal of honor. To the student 
it means the bench, platform, pulpit, or some other ex- 
alted position. To the Christian it means more. So 
intimately is it associated with practical godliness that 
religion is called "A hope through grace," (2 Thess. 
2: 16) "a glorious hope," "a better hope," (Heb. 7 
19) "a blessed hope" and "a lively hope." (i Peter i 
3). The Christian's God is named the "God of Hope,' 



Be Hopeful 333 

Jesus Christ, "Our Hope," (i Tim. 1:1) and His fin- 
ished work "the hope set before us in the Gospel." 

General Grant once said to a personal friend that his 
habit of day-dreaming, a kind of large and persistent 
hoping, had never left him. In his earlier life he had 
resigned from the army and things had been going 
steadily against him. He was working on a farm near 
St. Louis, from which he used to carry wood to the 
city for sale, and then ride back in the empty cart. It 
was a favorite sort of hoping dream of his, as he 
rode homeward, to think of himself with Mrs. Grant 
making a tour of Europe, and of himself as an officer 
in the army. Foolish enough such hoping seemed for 
a poor farmer jogging homeward in the evening. But 
that hope was inspiration to him, and at last the reality 
of it all burst the bounds of his most daring dreaming. 
Hoping thus, even in Grant's circumstances, was vastly 
better than a weak bewailing of his hard and unprom- 
ising plight. It is a noteworthy fact that all through 
the war, everyone of Grant's utterances and dispatches 
had in it this note of hope. There could not be found a 
shadow of a suggestion of despair or of ultimate de- 
feat. Hope, to him, as to thousands, was a stimulating 
factor. 

WHAT HOPE IS LIKENED TO. 

Like every other good thing hope has many symbols. 
Watson said : "Hope is like the cork to the net, which 
keeps the soul from sinking in despair." "It is to 
man," said Felthan, "as a bladder to a learning swim- 
mer, it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the 
waves and by that help he may attain the exercise." 
"Hope," says Howe, "is the engine that moves the 
world and keeps the intelligent part of it in action ev- 
erywhere." But in the Scriptures it is symbolized as 
an anchor: "Which hope we have as an anchor of the 
soul." 



334 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

When David was sad he said to himself : "Hope thou 
in God." What volumes of thought these words con- 
tain. *'Hope" and ''God" and the word "thou" link- 
ing them together. "Hope thou in God." That boy 
who places his trust in God is never hopeless. Airy 
fancies may seek to allure him, treacherous vices may 
endeavor to beguile him, but hope flits eternal around 
the human head and breast, and hangs its rainbow on 
the blackest cloud in all the chaste sparklings of an 
angel from the realms of light. To give up hope is to 
give up the beauty of life. It was only when Para- 
dise was lost that Milton makes Satan exclaim: "Then 
farewell hope," and immediately thereafter, as always 
the case, he adds : "Evil, be thou my good." 

THE CERTAINTY OF THIS HOPE. 

Paul said in regard to hope, "Sure and steadfast." 
Like the anchor whose flukes get fast beneath the 
moveless rocks, holding the vessel to its moorings in 
spite of the storm, so hope whispers these magic words 
of joy, when waves of calamity and sorrow would en- 
gulf in the vortex of despair, "sure and steadfast." 
Why? Because the cable that holds the anchor hope 
is faith and the rock that holds the flukes of the an- 
chor is Christ, and the reason we believe it is sure, is 
because the Word of God says so, for His Word is 
"Yea and amen to him that believeth." We believe 
because millions have tested and proved it. 

Now anchors are not so much needed in mid-ocean, 
for the water is deep, the rocks far down, and the reefs 
distant, so that with a storm before or behind, the 
ocean craft could smile and say, "I can race as fast as 
you can drive." It is when nearing the coast that ex- 
tra care is taken and the anchor held in readiness, for 
should a storm arise it might dash the ship upon the 
rocks, run it upon a reef or strand it upon the shore. 



Be Hopeful 335 

Nor is the anchor of hope so much needed in the mid- 
ocean of prosperity, peace and the fulness of God's 
love as it is near the shore when we start in the Chris- 
tian life and labor. 

ROCKS OF SCEPTICISM. 

Without this sure anchor many a boy has drifted on 
the rock of scepticism. When the little ''squall" of 
laughter and ''windy" arguments were brought to bear 
against them, they forgot their promises and gradually 
drifted upon this disastrous rock. No boy's anchor is 
secure who reads literature saturated with atheistical 
sentiments or keeps the company of infidel characters. 
Heinrich Heine the sceptic was proof of this. One 
day a friend called to see him, when suffering torments 
from a disease of the spine. He said: ''If I could 
only walk on crutches, do you know where I would 
go? Straight to church." "You jest," the friend said. 
"No, no, straight to the church," replied the former 
scoffer; "my friend, believe me, it is Heinrich Heine 
who tells you. After having reflected on it for years, 
and after having reconsidered and maturely weighed 
what has been written on this subject by men of all 
sorts, believe me, I have reached a conclusion that there 
is a God who judges our conduct, and that after this 
life there is another, when the good will be rewarded 
and the wicked punished. There are fools, who, hav- 
ing passed their lives in scepticism and mistake, and 
denied God in their words and acts, have not cour- 
age to own that they are wholly deceived. As for me," 
he said sadly and almost hopelessly, "I feel compelled 
to declare that it is a cursed falsehood which long 
made me blind. Only at present I see clearly ; and any 
man who knows me must confess that it is not because 
my faculties have become weak, for never was my 
mind more clear and strong than it is this moment." 



336 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

Without this sure and steadfast anchor many boys 
have drifted upon the reefs of temptation. An unan- 
chored ship may He on the waters as calmly and beauti- 
fully as in a painted picture, but almost before one re- 
alizes, the undercurrent carries it away, and a sudden 
jar, a terrible crash informs the captain it has stranded 
on a reef or struck a rock. So, too, hundreds of boys 
have been ruined in like manner, not by the gales of 
adversity, or strong winds of persecution, but by the 
undercurrents of strong temptations. 

What Paul said of those who live by faith may be 
said of all boys. ''These were tempted." Temptations 
are with kings in their castles and peasants in the field. 
"They come,'* says one, "of plenty, they are born of 
success and they are born of defeat." They are not in 
themselves sins, but temptations become sin when the 
tempted one welcomes and yields to them. Tempta- 
tions resemble the rocks which rest their jagged sides 
above the waves at low water. No vessel dare come 
near them. But after a while the tide comes sweeping 
into the bay and buries the rocks under a flood of 
water so that the largest ships as well as the lightest 
skififs may ride in safety above their teeth of death. 
We cannot hinder temptation from coming to us, but 
we can refuse to heed it. How ? 

A NOVEL EXPERIMENT. 

A story is told of a man who once asked an Eastern 
king if he could tell him how to avoid temptation. The 
king advised the man to take a vessel brimful of oil 
and carry it through the streets of the city without 
spilling a drop. 'Tf one drop is spilt, your head shall 
be cut off." Two executioners were ordered with 
drawn swords to walk behind the man, and carry out 
his orders. There happened to be a fair going on in 
the town, and the streets were crowded with people. 



Be Hopeful 337 

However, the man was very careful, and he returned 
to the King without having spilled one drop of oil. 
Then the king asked : "Did you see anyone whilst you 
were walking through the streets?" ''No, I was 
thinking only of the oil, I noticed nothing else." 
'Then," said the king, "you may know how to avoid 
temptation. Fix your mind firmly on God as you fixed 
it on that vessel of oil." 

Thank God, this hope in Christ "is sure and stead- 
fast." You may be struck "all aback," or, as Theodore 
Cuyler said, "may be stripped of many a topsail which 
ambition has hoisted or many a spar of prosperity; 
you may be obliged to throw out much of your lading 
into the sea; but if Jesus Christ is in your soul, you 
cannot suffer wreck. The anchor "sure and stead- 
fast" will hold you, under every circumstance, in every 
storm, and in every trial. 

A GRECIAN FABLE. 

There is a fable told by Homer of a Grecian boy who 
was pursued by a giant, whose breath was fire and in 
whose hand was a huge club. Two invisible beings as- 
sisted the pursued lad. One took his hand and lifted 
him forward, the other, casting an invisible cord over 
him, flew before him until his speed was doubled and 
the palace gates gave shelter. This is a beautiful rep- 
resentation of God's gentle rule over us. O, my boy, 
when the enemy of your soul seeks to enslave or al- 
lure you into a trap, some invisible power will aid you 
to avoid and escape him. When all appears dark and 
gloomy, looking up, one sees a beautiful sky and hears 
the lark break forth in song. When discouraged and 
bowed down with grief he needs but listen to hear the 
Saviour whispering, "Hope on, hope continually, hope 
thou in God for 'the Lord will be the hope of His peo- 
ple.' " And looking up he then can say : 
22 



33^ Stepping Stones to Manhood 

"O Hope of every coiidrite heart! 
O Joy of all the meek ! 
To those who ask, how kind Thou art! 
How good, to those who seek!" 



CHAPTER XXX 
Be Faithful 



INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER XXX 
By Opie Rodway 

I'm not ashamed to own my Lord, 

Or to defend His cause; 
Maintain the honor of His word, 

The glory of His cross. Watts 

BE faithful to yourself. See to it that you repent of 
sin, that you forsake it, that you go to Christ 
the great sin-bearer, that you get a new heart, 
that you live a holy life. 
Be faithful to your companions. Tell them what 
they ought to be. Tell them of Jesus who alone can 
save them. 

Be faithful to Christ. Say: "J^sus only." Jesus 
my Lord and Master. Jesus my Saviour and Exam- 
ple. Jesus, my "all in all." If you would have an ap- 
proving Saviour and Judge, be faithful. 

"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a 
crown of life." 



340 



CHAPTER XXX 
Be Faithful 

LIFE may be compared to this book in two re- 
spects. First, it has a beginning, second, an 
end. It must not be measured, however, by 
the number of years one Hves as we would 
number the pages of this book, for ''length of years 
is no proper test of length of life." But life must be 
measured by what one feels, thinks and does. In the 
matchless phrase of Paul: "To live is Christ." 

The exhortation of this chapter is beautifully illus- 
trated by many characters of the Bible and history. 
Hananiah, "a faithful man ;" Timothy, ''faithful in 
the Lord;" Tychius and Epaphras, ''faithful minis- 
ters;" Onesimus and Silvanus, ''faithful brothers," 
and Antipas, "a faithful martyr." Julius Palmer in 
Queen Mary's time, being asked to recant his faith in 
Christ, said that he rather would yield his life. Lati- 
mer said that Smithfield had long groaned for him, 
but he had prayed that he might be firm in death. 
When the hour of execution came, he knelt and pray- 
ed, and, as the flames shot up about him, he cried : 
"Father of heaven, receive my soul." 

In the first century lived a boy by the name of Poly- 
carp. He was taught by John the Apostle. After em- 
bracing the Christian religion he studied to preach and 
finally became a bishop. Persecution soon raged 
against the followers of Christ and this man was ar- 
rested. On the way to court, Irenarch, Herod and his 

341 



342 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

father Nicetes met him. They took him into their 
chariot and counseled him: ''What harm is it to say 
'Lord Caesar' and to sacrifice and be safe?" Polycarp 
repHed, "I will not follow your advice," whereupon 
they thrust him from the chariot, bruising his thigh. 
At the Stadium the procunsul urged him : "Swear and 
I will release thee." "Reproach. Christ!" rejoined 
Polycarp, "eighty and six years have I served Him, 
and He has never wronged me, and how can I blas- 
pheme my King who hath saved me?" "Swear by the 
fortune of Caesar," cried the procunsul. "If you still 
vainly contend to make me swear by the fortune of 
Caesar," said Polycarp, "affecting an ignorance of my 
real character, hear me frankly declare what I am. I 
am a Christian." "I will have wild beasts," cried the 
procunsul, "I will expose you to them unless you re- 
pent." "Call them," replied Polycarp. "I will tame 
your spirit by fire, since you despise the wild beasts, 
unless you repent," said the officer. "You threaten," 
answered Polycarp, "with fire that burns for a mo- 
ment, and is then extinct, but you are ignorant of the 
future judgment, and the fire of eternal punishment 
reserved for the ungodly. But why delay ? Do as you 
please." Saying this he was led away and burnt at 
the stake, which he made memorable by one of the 
most beautiful prayers ever uttered. 

A Roman Emperor said to a Greek architect, "Build 
me a grand coliseum, and if it suits me, I will crown 
you in the presence of my people, and I will make a 
great day of festival on your account." The architect 
did the work magnificently. The day for opening ar- 
rived. In the coliseum were the emperor and the archi- 
tect. The former arose, amid the plaudits of a vast as- 
sembly, and said, "We have gathered here to-day to 
open this coliseum, and to honor the Greek architect. 
It is a great day for the Roman Empire. Let this 



Be Faithful 343 

building be prosperous, and let honor be put on the 
Greek architect. O ! we must have a festival day. 
Bring out those Christians and let them be put to death 
at the mouth of the lions !" 

The Christians were put in the center of the amphi- 
theater. It was to be a great celebration in their de- 
struction. Then the lions, hungry and three-fourths 
starved, were let out of their dens in the side of the am- 
phitheater, and they came forth with mighty spring to 
destroy and rend the Christians, and all the galleries 
shouted, "Huzza ! Huzza ! Long live the Emperor !" 
Then the Greek architect arose in one of the galleries, 
and shouted until, in the vast assemblage, all heard him, 
*T, too, am a Christian !" 

They seized him in their fury and flung him to the 
wild beasts, until his body, bleeding and dead, was 
tumbled over and over again in the dust of the amphi- 
theater. He was "faithful unto death!" 

UNFAITHFULNESS AND ITS CAUSE. 

Many boys start well in the Christian life, but in a 
brief time stray away. They put their hand to the plow 
but soon look back. They boil over with enthusiasm 
while the interest is at white heat, but when trials and 
ridicule come they follow Christ at a distance. They 
renounce the world for a season, but like Demas soon 
come to it again. Many who have at some time been 
numbered with the saints have later, like Judas, turned 
out to be betrayers. 

Benedict Arnold battled nobly for the American col- 
onies, but he blackened his fair name beyond the power 
of rehabilitation when he plotted to secure and betray 
West Point. It is pathetic to read of his last hours in 
London when he donned his old American uniform, put 
on the insignia that Washington gave him after his 
victory at Saratoga, and said: "Let me die in this old 



344 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

uniform in which I fought my battles. May God for- 
give me for ever putting on any other." 

This reminds us of Esau's remorse when he lost his 
chieftainship, and the despair of Judas after selling his 
Master. Infidelity to trust is an awful sin. Unfaith- 
fulness is inexcusable and often brings with it direst 
penalty. It is a gradually increasing sin. There is first 
a lack of love to God. Then, like Peter on the sea and 
Elijah under the juniper tree, disbelief creeps into the 
heart, earnestness is lost, unwatchfulness results, joy 
vanishes and unholy living follows. In the end, unless 
there is a returning to God like the prodigal son to his 
father, death becomes sad and eternity awful. 

DEAD ON THE FIELD OF HONOR. 

Faithfulness is a beautiful and noble characteristic, 
which never fails to bring respect and honor. Fame 
comes only to a few, but faithfulness should actuate 
the life of every boy. Latour D'Auberque was only a 
private soldier who defended alone a fort in a moun- 
tain pass against a regiment of Austrian soldiers. He 
knew it was important that the Austrian army should 
not pass through this mountain defile, and he hastened 
to inform the garrison of their approach. When he 
arrived he found the soldiers had deserted, leaving their 
guns. 

D'Auberque loaded rapidly and fired upon the ad- 
vancing regiment, causing fearful havoc. For one 
hour he kept the Austrians at bay. Finally he raised a 
flag and sounded a bugle, thus announcing the fort 
would surrender if the garrison should be permitted to 
carry out their arms and depart in safety. The propo- 
sition was accepted, and D'Auberque took his arms full 
of guns and marched out alone. "Where are the oth- 
ers?" cried the Austrians. "There are no others," re- 
plied the brave grenadier. "I defended the fort alone." 



Be Faithful 345 

The Austrians threw their caps in the air and shouted 
"Hurrah !" They honored the man who could and 
would stand alone, though many of their comrades had 
fallen under his fire. When Napoleon heard of the 
brave action, he offered to make him an officer, but 
D'Auberque refused to accept. One day he was killed 
in battle. Whenever after the roll was called, a grena- 
dier, by the command of Napoleon, stepped forward 
and answered, "Dead on the field of honor/' 

THE PROMISE TO THE "FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH." 

When John was banished by the cruel Domitian to 
the isle of Patmos, he had a vision in which he was 
commanded to write to the pastor of the church in 
Smyrna concerning many things. He closed his letter 
with these words : "Be thou faithful unto death, and I 
will give thee a crown of life." What a promise! 
No other person ever offered such a reward with such 
a condition. Faithfulness must characterize the aspir- 
ant, not for a few days, months or years, but "unto 
death." Then there are no terrors for the Christian. 
As the bee loses its power to hurt when its sting has 
been removed, so death had no sting for the child of 
God. It lost its power to harm when Christ died for us. 

THE ARAB MARTYR. 

It was about three hundred and fifty years ago that a 
martyrdom took place, long considered legendary, but 
which was verified in 1853. An Arab baby was taken 
by Spanish soldiers and brought to Oran to be sold as a 
slave. The good Vicar-general, Juan Caro, bought him 
and named him Geronimo. When he was eight years 
of age, some Arab slaves escaped from Oran, and, 
thinking to do the boy a kindness, took him with them. 
For years he lived with his people as a Mahometan, 
but the holy faith which through Juan Caro had been 



346 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

planted in the boy's heart had taken firm root and 
could not be destroyed. For twenty-five years he re- 
mained with them and then ran away and returned to 
the Vicar-general. ''Because I wished to live hence- 
forth in the faith of the Divine Saviour," he said, "I re- 
turned to you." Juan Caro was delighted. He received 
the young Arab as a lost child. 

Soon after he entered the Spanish Guard as a soldier 
and after performing many brave acts received a high 
military position. He married and for ten years noth- 
ing but happiness shone into his life. He won the re- 
spect and confidence of all. He was Juan Carols right 
hand man, and his wife was a daughter to his adopted 
father. One bright May day in 1569 news came to 
Oran that a small Arab encampment was a short dis- 
tance away. The rumor did not seem important. A 
handful of Spaniards could easily manage the Arabs, 
at least so thought Geronimo. Taking nine soldiers he 
manned a little boat and rowed out of the safe harbor 
and along the blue sea past the coral fishery of Mers- 
el-Kebir. Suddenly two Moorish brigantines which 
had been lying in wait chased and ran them down. The 
nine soldiers escaped but Geronimo, who was a marked 
man, was seized and carried to Euldij Ali, the Calabrian 
renegade. A great cry spread among the Arabs through 
Algeria that the apostate was captured. The Moors 
who knew his history made a solemn vow that they 
would restore him to his old religion. For this they 
sent Marabouts to convert him with arguments and 
fair promises, but they returned discomfited to Euldij 
Ali. Another method was now tried. Geronimo was 
loaded with chains, treated with the utmost cruelty and 
when faint from torture and scarcely able to speak, the 
Marabouts stood around him offering him liberty, 
power, honor and riches. No offer, however, made 
him deny his faith^ no longing for freedom made him 



Be Faithful 347 

forswear for one single moment his religion. Once, 
after some most horrible threats, he raised his poor suf- 
fering head, and with a voice so weak it could scarcely 
be heard, he said, ''They think they will make me a 
Mahometan, but that they shall never do, even if they 
kill me." 

For four months Euldij Ali gloated over the daily tor- 
tures he was inflicting on Geronimo. At last the same- 
ness of cruelty palled upon him, and he was determined 
to invent a new and more hideous revenge for the stub- 
bornness of his captive. One morning the desired idea 
came to him. Examining the works of a fort by the 
gate of Bab-el-Oned, he saw a block of beton standing 
by the great stones. This block was a mould in the 
shape of the immense stones, filled with a kind of con- 
crete. When the concrete was sufficiently hardened, 
the wall was to be built wdth it. 

Here was the height of torture. Here was the most 
exquisitely painful death man might devise ! The dog 
of a slave should be laid in a similar mould, the liquid 
plaster poured over him, and the renegade, built alive - 
into the wall, should be converted into stone. Calling 
a mason he said : ^'^lichel, you see this empty mould of 
beton? For the present leave it. I have a mind to 
make beton of that dog of Osan who refuses to come 
back to the faith of Islam." 

The poor mason finished his day's work with a sad 
heart. As soon as he entered the prison where Geron- 
imo was a captive he informed him of Euldij All's inten- 
tion. Geronimo calmly answered. ''God's holy will be 
done. Let not those miserable men think they will 
frighten me out of the faith of Christ by the idea of 
this cruel death. ]\Iay my blessed Saviour only par- 
don my sins, and preserve my soul." 

The whole of that night the brave young Arab spent 
in prayer and preparation for the tortures which he 



34^ Stepping Stones to Manhood 

knew were awaiting him. Between two and three 
o'clock the next morning a guard summoned him to the 
Pasha's presence, where stood a great multitude of 
Turks and Arabs in their gorgeous robes. He w^as then 
dragged to the gate of Bab-el-Oned, being beaten all 
the way. Euldij Ali addressed .him slowly and clearly. 
He pointed out every detail of the fearful death, showed 
him the block of beton, and then said : "Do you still re- 
fuse to return to the faith of Islam?" "I am a Chris- 
tian, and as a Christian I will die," was Geronimo's an- 
swer. "As you will," replied the Pasha. Pointing to 
the beton, he said, "Then here shall you be buried 
alive." "Do your will. Death shall not make me 
abandon my faith." The Pasha raised his hand. The 
soldiers stepped forward and removed the chain from 
the prisoner's leg. His hands were bound behind his 
back, his legs crossed and tied together. Then, lifting 
the poor man, they laid him face downward in the 
mould. A renegade Spaniard named Tamango, desir- 
ing to show what a fervent Mahometan he was, jumped 
on Geronimo's body and broke his ribs. This act so 
pleased Euldij Ali that others followed his example. 
The plaster was then poured over him, and the brave 
Christian was suffocated. 

Three hundred years later the noble Arab's martyr- 
dom was brought to light and the story verified. In the 
museum of Algiers is the cast. It shows a slight fig- 
ure, a face with veins all swollen, a poor mouth closed 
with a patient determined expression, hands tied, legs 
swollen, even the broken ribs are distinguished. He 
was "faithful unto death." 

REWARD OF FAITHFULNESS. 

When Petrarch was crowned at Rome, it was by the 
supreme magistrate of the Republic. Twelve youths 



Be Faithful 349 

were arrayed in scarlet. Six representatives of the most 
illustrious families, in green robes, with garlands of 
flowers, witnessed the scene. When the laurel crown 
was placed on his head, the magistrate said, "This is 
the reward of merit." And the people shouted, ''Long 
live the poet." But you, my boy, if faithful to the end 
shall be crowned in the presence of all the high digni- 
taries of heaven, by King Jesus, with a crown that 
fadeth not away, and a radiance that vies with the 
brightness of blazing suns as they run their eternal 
course. 

My boy, w4th what better exhortation can this vol- 
ume close than, ''Be faithful" ? Being the architects of 
your own w^eal or woe, be courageous like Joshua, self- 
reliant like Nehemiah, obedient like Abraham, perse- 
vering like Jacob, decisive like Moses, administrative 
like Solomxon, above reproach like Daniel, long-suffer- 
ing like Paul, self-disciplined like David, prayerful 
like Elijah, masters of passions like Joseph, bold like 
Peter, self-surrendered like Noah, Godlike like Enoch, 
faith-acting like Abel, and in all things, with all per- 
sons, at all time exemplify the spirit of the Christ. 

Be faithful. Faithful to your Christian profession, 
faithful to your church, faithful to Christ, faithful under 
all circumstances and in all places, faithful unto death. 
Above the grave of his hero Homer inscribed the words, 
"He was a brave man." Above his hero Plato wrote, 
"He was a wise man." Above his hero Alcibiades said, 
"He was a rich man," but the motto for the Christian's 
tomb is that which is sculptured beneath Lincoln's great 
name and which he wished above all things history 
might write of him : "He was faithful." And that of 
Rev. Henry Weston Smith, who was killed by the Indi- 



350 Stepping Stones to Manhood 

ans while on his way from Deadwood, Dakota, to preach 
at Crook City, "Faithful unto death." 

When Allen K. Capron was killed at Las Guasimas, 
his father lifted the hat that covered his face, and said, 
"Well done, my boy." May others say of you, "He was 
faithful," and may Christ say to you, "Well done !" 

"Here's a Imnd to the hoy who has courage 

To do what he knows to he right. 
When he falls in the way of temptation, 

He has a hard hattle to fight. 
Who strives against self and his comrades 

Will Und a most powerful foe; 
All honor to him if he conquers; 

A cheer for the hoy who says, 'No!' 

''There's fnany a hattle fought daily 

The world knows nothing ahout. 
There's many a hra^ue young soldier 

Whose strength puts a legion to rout. 
And he who fights sin single-handed 

Is more of a hero, I say 
Than he who leads soldiers to hattle. 

And conquers hy arms in the fray. 

"Be steadfast, my hoy, when you're tempted. 

And do what you think to he right; 
Stand firm hy the colors of manhood, 

And you will o'ercome in the fight. 
'The right' he your hattle-cry ever 

In waging the warfare of life; 
And God, who knows who are the heroes, 

Will give you the strength for the strife.'* 



Be Faithful 351 



''My Pledge." 
/ WILL 

Keep to the right as the law directs, 
Keep from the world my friends' defects. 
Keep all my thoughts on the purest themes, 
Keep from my eyes the motes and beams. 
Keep true my deeds, my honor bright, 
Keep Urm my faith in God and right. 
Keep free from every sin and stain. 
Keep from the ways that bring me pain. 
Keep free my tongue from words of ill, 
Keep right my aim, and good my will. 
Keep all my acts from passion free. 
Keep strong my hope, no envy see. 
Keep watchful care o'er tongue and hand. 
Keep firm my feet, by justice stand. 
Keep true my word, a sacred thing. 
Keep from the snares the tempters bring. 
Keep faith with each I call a friend. 
Keep full in view the final end. 
Keep Urm my courage, bold and strong. 
Keep up the right and down the wrong. 
Keep well the words of wisdom's school. 
Keep zvarm by night, by day keep cool. 



352 Stepping Stones to Manhood 



My Symphony. 

"To live content with small means, to seek elegance 
rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion ; 
to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; 
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to 
listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open 
heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await oc- 
casions, hurry never; — in a word, to let the spiritual, 
unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the com- 
mon. This is to be my symphony." 

William Henry Channing. 



• l^(J^ 



